Lessons in Etiquette
by albe-chan
Summary: Sirius bumps into an one-time lover at work one day and a relationship rekindles. But what happens when the Ministry interferes and he finds himself responsible? Will he be able to save the man he loves or lose himself? RLSB.JPLE.SEX.VIOLENCE.VERY MATURE.
1. Chapter 1

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for some sexual content, violence and language. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **so after Riding Lessons, I got about half the reviewers asking for a sequel, which I really should've seen coming what with the whole 'we'll meet again' bit. So anyhow, I decided there WILL BE A SEQUEL!! And here it is. XD Cheers!

PS. – Yay for customized porn. XD

XXX

Sirius Black groaned as a pair of soft, long-fingered hands slid up his torso, followed by a warm, wet tongue, and he found himself staring into twin pools of amber coloured honey.

"Remus," he gasped, and the other boy smiled, languidly dipping his head to kiss him, but just before Sirius tasted the deliciousness of the older boy's lips, he sat up straight in bed, alone, and sweating.

He rubbed his hands tiredly over his face, cursing his stupid subconscious. He hadn't even thought of Remus Lupin for years until recently. Now the damned cowboy wouldn't get out of his head and plagued both sleeping and waking.

It had been nearly three years to the day since he had been dropped unceremoniously in the middle of the country to learn 'equestrian training' from the staff at Windermere Stables and Farms. What he had not expected back then, was that his ten-day stay would turn heavenly with the mere addition of one drop dead gorgeous stable-hand/instructor or that said instructor would teach him how to ride more than just horses.

Since then, he had come out of the closet to his very best mate in the world James Potter, and his family, who were more like a real family than his own blood-relatives could claim. James had been shocked, understandably, but he and his parents had handled it well enough, and loved him all the more for it.

Then came the rather trying ordeal of telling his biological parents (who had always rather disliked him for some reason) that he was, in fact, gay, and that he'd spent the majority of the expensive riding vacation making love to an exiled-wizard stable boy. Needless to say, the traditional Black hatred of anything not of pure wizarding blood or influence and anything wizarding society might frown upon (including homosexuality of their heir child) prevailed, and he was rather unceremoniously thrown from his childhood house. Not that he really cared. But then he was disinherited, which was rather a problem.

He managed to finish off his school year with top marks, however, and had pretty much the pick of the litter as jobs went. Seeking quiet and some sort of stability, which he'd never had in life apart from the safe feeling he'd gotten at Windermere, he chose a simple Ministry of Magic job, working in the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures, more specifically, the Werewolf Regulation division.

He figured it would be the best way to get back at his parents, doing a menial Ministry job, day in and day out, but he found that he rather enjoyed it. He felt pity, of course, and immense sadness when he saw a young child come in after having been bit and ravaged by a werewolf (which had thankfully only happened once on his shift in the three years he'd had the job), and slight distaste when he had to go through the reports of what werewolves had supposedly done. Yet his job also let him catch a rare glimpse into the lives of the many who were infected with lycanthropy who just tried to live their lives, and he learned a new kind of respect for them as a species, and as human beings.

Often haggard looking and surly, he could understand why they mistrusted him and everyone else at the Ministry when they came in for yearly evaluations of their 'illness' and he always tried to treat them with that newfound respect. Sometimes, however, it was impossible, and he was reminded just why everyone freaked out when mentioning the word werewolf in polite conversation. Some of them, to be frank, were more animal than person.

And now, three years into it, he was thinking back almost wistfully to the days of summer he'd spent with Remus Lupin. Damn it all to hell, _why _though? How come, all of a sudden, he couldn't get that sexy young man out of his head? Why now, after all this time?

XXX

Remus Lupin stared across at the overflowing rubbish bins and dingy buildings, and then back at the decrepit-looking red telephone booth. Visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic…of course it would look like shit. His frown deepened.

He couldn't believe he was stuck back in this god-awful city again. It had been bad enough having to live here the first decade or so of his life and now that he had tasted freedom, real freedom, it was fucking hell to have to come back.

The summer he had met Sirius had blazed with a never-ending sun. Hottest on record some said, and Remus believed it. The nights he had spent with the young man had nearly burned him alive with their intensity and passion, and Mother Nature seemed to have liked what she saw. All the rest of that year drought plagued the prestigious, privately owned and run ranch and farm, and revenue had plummeted.

They had made it through, though, and the next summer saw another batch of eager kids and teens whose parents wanted them to ride properly, and things had started looking up. But as fate has a nasty way of doing, things that seemed up, went down. The number of bookings dropped, and a fair number of the summer-time help were laid off. Remus stayed on with Gloria and a handful of others.

As the summer progressed, and the heat rose steadily, as if mocking his fiery nights from the year before, fewer and fewer people came around. The drought, which seemed to have lasted into this year, was full blown by then, and no one and nothing could survive the scorching daytime sun. Entire crops of produce were lost, and the owners were tentative about continuing on.

The next summer came and promised just as much dry heat and just as little rain, and the owners of the sprawling property decided it would be best to cut their losses rather than risk the business for another unprofitable year.

So it had been 'thanks, but we really can't keep you' for Remus not even halfway through the season, and he had been forced to move back into the city. He found what work he could, general labour, carpentry, and mechanic work – anything that would keep him off the street at night and keep food in his belly.

Now, after living in the city for six months, he was being forced by the bureaucratic bastards to come for a 'harmless evaluation of his condition'. He remembered what it had been like, the years after his accident when he still lived in London with his mother. His father had taken off sometime in the blurry years of younger childhood, and left them to struggle onward on their own, the bastard, and now here he was again, walking the same fucking streets, going to the same damned places. Only now he knew what awaited him.

He sighed and stepped into the phone booth, pushing the appropriate numbers after sliding a quarter into the machine. He watched the sidewalk around him rise as he sunk into the earth, his heart sinking with him.

On the long descent, his mind wandered of it's own accord, and he found no matter what he did to deter it, it invariably turned back to Sirius Black, the boy from that summer so many long hard years ago. He wasn't sure why, but lately it seemed he had been thinking of that time more and more and the magical youth he had shared it with. The feel of the boy's lips on his skin, the way his hands would grip his shoulders… A shudder worked its way u his spine and he shook his head to clear it as the red door of the telephone booth opened.

He didn't bother to ask directions, and didn't meet the eyes of anyone he saw. He knew his way still, even despite the fact he hadn't been there in ages. How could he forget?

XXX

Sirius doodled absently on a piece of paper. He had been assigned, rather unceremoniously and against his will, to sit at the front desk today, something he absolutely _loathed_ doing. It undoubtedly meant he had to deal with people who got lost trying to find somewhere else, and that he had to endure the scathing looks and whispered conversations about what sort went into the facility behind and what sort of sick person would want to work there. Stuck up bastards, all of them. No compassion and no empathy from any of those judgmental people.

Sirius sighed and tossed the pen he'd been doodling with aside, and leaned back in his swivel chair, twirling around the space behind the desk, his fingers lacing together behind his head. His eyes fell shut and Remus Lupin appeared behind his eyelids, the image Sirius had committed to memory for this very purpose of the sexy youth, fixing that stuck harness and catching Sirius' heart. He sighed and fell deeper into his imagination. He could see in perfect detail, Remus walking toward him, his hips slightly forward, his lean body bent slightly around his middle; could picture his mouth moving to form words of delicious enticement…

And then it was as though Remus were real…calling his name with his low husky voice, slightly breathless as he fucked him. "Sirius…Sirius…"

Sirius sat up and sighed, opening his eyes, realizing he must be out of his mind because it wasn't like Remus was standing there calling him. He looked over his shoulder to see who _had_ been calling him (probably his stupid supervisor who was a prejudiced bigot if he ever met one) and promptly fell out of his chair.

Remus couldn't breathe. He felt like everything he had taken for granted until then, like the ability to think and breathe simultaneously, or to stand properly, had suddenly gone wonky, and he gripped the edge of the desk to remain upright and not pass out.

"Sirius," he said again through numb lips. "What…what are you…?" He couldn't make his mouth form the words. He gasped air and his mind cleared momentarily, but as soon as he looked into the stormy grey of his old acquaintance's eyes, he felt woozy again. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be…it wasn't possible…

He watched Sirius pick himself up from the floor unseeing. It was like this horrendously terrible day had been just shy of completely disastrous, so stupid fucking Fate had decided to throw this into his lap to top things off. This was just great, just fucking wonderful…

"Remus?" Sirius said, almost as though he thought he might be dreaming. Then his head throbbed where he had smashed it off the ground moments before and he realized that to feel that kind of pain that acutely, he was undoubtedly conscious. "What are you doing here?" He could see the other boy was just as shocked (if not more so) than he himself was, and opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to have lost the ability to do so. "I think you're lost," Sirius said decisively, moving out from around the counter, and putting a slightly more than friendly arm around the speechless boy's shoulders.

He steered Remus slightly around and began walking him back to the lift. "I mean, you can't be a werewolf," Sirius said, a hint of a laugh in his voice as though Remus was being devious and trying to trick him into something. "It's just preposterous. So tell me, what are you looking for then?"

They had arrived at the lifts, and Remus finally found his voice, stiffening slightly under Sirius' arm. "I'm not lost. I'm looking for the Werewolf Division Registry, and I know it's on this floor." Sirius' arm dropped back to his side, and he stared at Remus in shock. The fair-haired boy felt his pride shoot up at the look of incredulity on Sirius' face, and his jaw tightened. "Yeah, I'm a fucking werewolf…so if you could just point me in the general direction of the Registry office, that'd be fucking excellent," he snapped coldly.

Sirius pointed absently over his shoulder to a hallway leading back from the reception desk. "Second door on the left," he murmured, and Remus brushed past him without another word.

The dark-haired young man watched his once passionate, funny, and caring fling walk away. The defensive set of his shoulders and the stiff way he walked, so un-Remus-like entirely, told Sirius what he already knew. He had been an asshole of the very grandest kind. He'd done what countless other Ministry officials did to the patrons of his department. He had judged the boy by how he looked.

Sirius sat down on his chair behind his desk and picked up the pen he had been doodling with earlier absently. Remus was… No, he couldn't even think it. It couldn't _possibly_ be true. Remus would have told him…right? That summer, Remus _would_ have told him. He had told Remus he loved him, and Remus had said he felt the same… But if you loved someone, loved them the way Sirius had loved Remus that fateful summer; you didn't just conveniently forget to tell them things like you were a werewolf.

But the more he thought about it, and the more self righteous he became in his shock, the more he realized. It really just made it that much harder to tell someone you might love (or care for in some sort of way, Sirius was sure Remus had felt at least that much) something that important. Because the more you got committed, and the more that person came to love who they thought you were, wholly and completely, the greater the risk was in being honest. The greater chance there was in getting your heart broken…in getting your true self rejected… And now he had gone and looked shocked and undoubtedly hurt Remus.

It had never been his intention, but it wasn't as though he could help himself. It was like hearing Santa Claus wasn't real for the first time. You just didn't want to believe it. But what could he do about it? It wasn't like he just _happened_ to have a time turner on hand to go back in time. He checked his pockets just in case, but alas, found nothing.

But he _could_ try to make amends, right? Of course! He would apologize and ask the devilishly still rugged and sexy Remus out, and then they could go back to his flat, and-

_What if he doesn't want to go out with you? What if you've cocked up one of the only good things you've ever gotten in life for good? What do _you_ have that makes you so fucking special and worthy? You're a kid to him. He fucked you once, but that was a summer fling. You really think he's going to want you again?_

The black thoughts came up suddenly, and Sirius tried to push them away, to his subconscious where they belonged, but no matter what he did, they just floated back up. A remnant of his cold, love-less childhood, he was often plagued with such thoughts (especially in matters of love) though he did his best to put on a good front.

As a result, he was so entirely focused on thinking positive, his face set in an uncharacteristic frown, that he almost missed it when Remus came out from the Registry and sailed right past him without another word. In fact, the slim, sandy-haired youth was almost at the lifts before Sirius realized it was he.

"Remus, wait!" he called, bounding up from his desk.

Remus cursed his politeness, which had been deeply ingrained into him from a very young age, as he turned round. Fuck it all to hell, why couldn't he be one of those people who had no soul who could just tell people to fuck off whenever they felt like it? He sighed. "Yes?" he prompted when Sirius just stared at him.

Sirius seemed to snap out of himself. "Right, um… I just wanted to say, basically, that I'm sorry. I assumed you weren't…yeah, and, well it was rude of me. I mean… I know what it's like to be judged for something you can't help." Remus snorted, politely as possible, in a disbelieving sort of way. Sirius, who had been unable to meet Remus' gaze, did so now. "What?"

"I find it hard to believe that _you_ have any sort of inkling of what I live through when people find out about my condition."

Sirius felt the full force of his Black pride rear its aristocratic head. "Maybe not to the extent you've been through, true, but in case you didn't realize, everyone, including you if I recall correctly, assumes that I'm some hypocritical asshole because my last name is Black. I get dirty looks on the street from my parents' pureblood friends because I'm a disgrace to them and their fucked up beliefs, and judged by anyone who meets me. So don't tell me I don't have 'any inkling' of what you go through." Sirius forced his fists to relax, and took a deep breath. Now that he'd gotten riled up though, he couldn't bite his tongue any more. "And furthermore, I came to tell you I was _sorry_ for being such a prick earlier, and ask you if you wanted to maybe meet up sometime for coffee or some shit like that, but fuck it, whatever."

Remus stood there, stunned. Not literally, but figuratively for sure. He swallowed uncomfortably, glad Sirius seemed to have burned himself out in the heavy silence, but took solace that he still remained standing there, staring at the ground. "Uhm…yeah. You're er…right. And…I…about the coffee…"

"No, no," Sirius interrupted. Let me ask you properly for that. "Remus, d'you want to get some coffee with me…later? After I get off work?" Remus smiled, blushing softly. Since when had he turned into a schoolgirl around Sirius?

"Yeah," he replied. "Sounds good. Um…"

"You probably don't want to hang around this place, but actually, I'm done at three today, so if you maybe wanted to meet me at the Muggle Visitor's Entrance?"

Remus nodded, consulting his watch. It was only eleven thirty. He could poke around London until three. "Sounds good. I'll erm…see you then I guess…"

Sirius grinned and reached for Remus' hand boldly, not caring that at any time, someone could come from the offices and facilities behind or step off the lifts. He leaned in to kiss Remus' lips, but chickened out last second, and brushed his pouting mouth over the lycanthrope's cheek instead. "See you then."

XXX

Sirius verily skipped from the red phone booth that afternoon. The sun was shining and looking brightly down on him, reflecting his own light heart. He spotted Remus across the street, leaning against a fence, and smoking.

He approached the other boy and smirked as he plucked the fag unceremoniously from between Remus' fingers. He pulled off of it and passed it back. "Smoking is bad for you."

"And so are you. Would you rather I quit both?" Remus asked, trying not to stutter like an over excited teenager. He was far from that.

"Not at all. Come, this way. I brought my bike in this morning, so it's lucky really." Remus cocked an eyebrow. Somehow he couldn't imagine Sirius on a bicycle; it just didn't match his over-confidence and swaggering style. Then the pair rounded a corner onto a dismal little alleyway, and Remus' eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

He stopped walking and Sirius turned round to look at him, walking backward to the beastly motorbike that shone dimly in the half-light. "What?"

Remus stared at him in blind horror. "I'm not getting on that thing."

Sirius paused, wand halfway out of his pocket. "What? Why the bloody hell not?"

"It's…dangerous!" Remus spat. Sirius waggled his eyebrows.

"So am I baby."

Remus rolled his eyes heavenward. "Seriously. And don't you dare make the pun." Sirius frowned. "And no pouting either. I'm not getting on that bike, and that's final."

Sirius strode up to him and pulled him close, arms sliding with easy remembrance around Remus' waist. "Why not?" Sirius murmured, leaning in to Remus and breathing him in.

"I don't feeling like dying just now is all."

"You don't think I can drive?" Sirius asked, half smiling as he pulled away from Remus, going and throwing a leg over the bike. "Come on, be nice to her. She rides like a dream and I can handle her. Marley, tell the silly boy…"

"Oh good god you've named it…" Remus said, sighing hugely. This was not convenient. He stared at Sirius who was currently grinning and looking every inch a carefree rebel, his long dark hair mussed one too many times with his fingers, leaning confidently on his motorbike… Jesus.

"Of course I have. She's my baby. Marley the Harley…isn't she gorgeous?"

"And is she the only female you've been riding lately?" Remus asked, folding his arms.

"Absolutely." Remus took a step forward, and then another.

"And you promise me it's safe?"

"Darling, who d'you think you're talking to? I exude safety. Safety is my metaphorical middle name. Now are you getting on or not, sweets?"

Remus sighed and moved completely over to the bike that currently leaned rakishly on its kickstand. "So you at least have helmets?" he inquired. Sirius laughed.

"For you, yes. I need no helmet."

"Sirius-"

"Ah, ah! No arguments. Jump on." Remus slid hesitantly onto the plush leather of the back of the seat, clinging to Sirius in fright as the darker haired boy reach around, kicking the kickstand aside and revving the engine in a rather manly way.

Remus groaned at the gentle vibrations that rumbled up from the seat between his legs, over his cock and across his balls, making him incredibly horny. And then there was Sirius, all masculine and there to hold on to and over confidence. He unconsciously shifted closer to Sirius, pressing the semi-hardness of his cock against the grinning boy, stifling a soft groan.

They eased slowly and fluidly into the street from the alleyway and Remus loosened his grip slightly. Then Sirius revved the engine and with an impressive roar of machinery, pulled into traffic. Remus gripped him, partially from sheer arousal at watching Sirius handle the several hundred pounds of metal so easily and partly from sheer fear that they were going to get into a horrible fiery wreck. He could feel every inch of his front pressed intimately to Sirius and the rumbling in the seat rose and fell as Sirius gear shifted and they puttered in and out of traffic and up the street.

"Is it far?" Remus asked into Sirius' ear. The black-haired boy shook his head. Remus shifted, trying to get the rather lovely (yet problem inducing) vibrating seat from pressing up against his balls, then clung tight as Sirius took a sharp corner. "That was mean," he murmured. He cast about for conversation topics wildly. He did _not_ want this to be awkward. "So who _have_ you been riding besides Marley?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he buried his head in Sirius' shoulder, eyes closed, groaning.

Sirius grinned. "Well, not as many as before. No girls and only like…two guys? Yeah. Maybe four times."

"Tell me about them?" Remus inquired sweetly, resting his chin on Sirius' shoulder as they whizzed past cars and a bus, arms underneath Sirius' robes and jacket. Anything not to think about possible impending death was good.

I met this guy on a weekend my parents forced me to socialize with guests. According to him, quite a few of the Blacks dally on the other side; even the women. But don't worry, he wasn't related to me. He was a servant… Someone _actually_ brought their own servant. Pfft!" He laughed carelessly. "We flirted for the first day or so and then…yeah."

"Who was the other guy?" Sirius muttered something that Remus didn't catch. "One more time, a little louder, in coherent English please?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "My…friend James."

"He's gay too?"

"No, quite the opposite really. Straight as an arrow, but he heard that guy on guy sex makes you get off better or something, so anyway, he asked me and I said to go fuck himself. He bugged me night and day, 'cause we live together, and after a week I just caved."

Remus laughed at the plain absurdity of this. "And? Was his theory right?"

Sirius chuckled now, pausing at a red light. "He said it was alright."

Remus thought back to the teen of the summer they had spent together. The cocky-as-fuck youth who had snatched his interest like nothing. "And you were okay with that?"

Sirius pulled away as the light changed. "Yeah. He wasn't that great either, and I told him as much too."

Remus shifted and accidentally (or so he later claimed) rubbed his semi-erect cock against Sirius' backside. "Was he better than me?"

Sirius gasped at the erotic (if unintentional) touch. "Er, no…definitely not. You, sweets, were exceptional."

Remus blushed and felt a little lightheaded. His hands slid down Sirius' front, caressing him through the thin fabric of his shirt. "You're sweet," he murmured, voice slightly deeper than normal.

"Oh I know," Sirius replied smirking.

Remus' hands slid back up the younger boy's front, under his shirt, delightfully cooler than his flesh, caressing him. Sirius felt his cock strain against the fabric of his trousers. Sirius groaned and turned the corner, away from heavier traffic. "Maybe I should make sure your friend isn't better than me, hmm?" Remus murmured into Sirius' ear, his breath hot on the cool flesh and making Sirius shiver. "Y'know," Remus continued when Sirius didn't reply, "I really rather think I like riding this bike with you. Not as good as a horse, but I suppose you make up for it." His left hand slid down and cupped Sirius' cock intimately as he nipped longingly at his earlobe.

"Oh really?" Sirius managed to choke out. He was having difficulty curbing the impulse to simply stop in the middle of the street and take Remus right here on this beast of a machine.

"Mmm…really." Remus rolled his hips and ground his cock, now noticeably harder, into Sirius' arse, sliding the tip of his finger achingly over the ridge of Sirius' trapped erection. "God, I'm so fucking turned on… I want you to take me on this fucking beast. Sorry, Marley."

Sirius swallowed raggedly and pulled off the street, down and empty side street and around into an alleyway. He turned with practiced ease and pinned Remus to the seat of the bike, sliding him down slowly, grinding their pelvises and cocks together wantonly. "You're not allowed to say those kinds of things when I'm driving." He kissed Remus lingeringly, softly, but possessively.

Remus shivered at the kiss. It felt so achingly right; it made him forget… Then Sirius pulled back. "Why not?" Remus breathed.

Sirius' lips slid lower to suck at Remus' collarbone, making the elder of the two arch and clutch at Sirius' back. "It causes me to drive poorly … And it makes me want to punish you…"

Remus shivered and pulled Sirius closer to him. "How far away do you live?"

Sirius grinned. "Not far. Let's go…and no more distracting me." Remus smiled devilishly, said nothing, and sat up.

XXX

Sirius magicked the chain around his bike at the fence across the street from the building his and James' flat was located in. "More for show than anything. Anti-theft charms on the lot of it."

Remus smiled as Sirius took his hand and they made their way up to the flat. Sirius unlocked it with his key to 'keep up appearances' and they walked into a dim room that Remus guessed was the living area. It was romantically lit with candles, several of which floated leisurely on invisible drafts, and a dark, messy haired young man lounged easily with a pretty blonde. At the sound of Remus and Sirius' entry, they both looked up, their lips breaking apart.

"Is this your friend?" Remus asked Sirius softly.

"Yes," Sirius replied. "But I don't know why he's home this early," Sirius added, louder, mostly for James' benefit.

James Potter got up and waved his wand, the soft music that had been playing turning off and the lights going up. Remus blinked and watched as the blonde stood as well, pulling her shirt up and skirt down.

"What are you-?" You're supposed to be working…"

"So are you! Oh, James, Remus; Remus, James." Remus waved slightly and smiled uncertainly at the awkward situation.

"Sirius, we have to talk," James said, grabbing the other black-haired boy by the arm and pulling him backward into the bathroom.

Remus sat down hesitantly, and Blondie did the same a few moments later. There were the sounds of muted shouting from the bathroom, and then a Silencing spell went up, and there was only blank, horrendous silence.

"Hi," Remus said brightly, his voice loud to his ears. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Remus."

"Kelly," the blonde replied, shaking his hand. She smiled prettily. "So…you're…dating Sirius?"

"Not really," Remus replied. "We met once awhile ago, and just recently…I don't know…" Kelly laughed softly.

"Well you seem good together to me."

Remus chuckled. "You sound like my best friend…Lily."

"Oh yeah? Name doesn't sound familiar…"

"She's a Muggle…"

"Oh, cool…"

Just then, the bathroom door opened to two slightly pissed off men, looking as though they hadn't gotten their way. Sirius' face was an unattractive shade of red and James was frowning. "Everything all right?" Remus asked.

James and Sirius glared at one another. "Yeah," Sirius replied. "Great. So…let's go to my room Remus…"

"Okay," said Remus amicably. "Nice meeting you Kelly. And James." He took Sirius' proffered hand and followed him back toward the far bedroom. James sat down beside Kelly.

"Now darling, where were we?"

XXX

Once Remus had closed the door behind them in the bedroom, Sirius turned and pressed him into the cheap wood, kissing him soundly and grinding erotically against him. "Get undressed," Sirius panted commandingly, and Remus obliged him, swiftly pulling his shirt over his head.

Sirius' hands had his pants around his ankles as the shirt sailed easily across the room, and Remus stepped out of the remainder of his clothing into Sirius' gentle embrace. Their hot mouths met, tongues sliding gently in and out of and around each other's mouth. "Ohh fuck," Remus murmured as he felt Sirius gently rotating his hips against him, hands splayed flat on the wooden door, either side of Remus' head. It was payback, he knew, for those teasing nudges and touches on the ride over.

"Remus," Sirius panted. "Yes baby… Are you sure you want to do this?" Sirius rasped, even as Remus worked furiously at his pants, trying to take them off the other boy.

"Don't you dare try to play the tease Sirius," Remus said darkly, making Sirius' cock twitch and harden in his underpants as the elder boy pulled his pants down. His hands, those glorious surgeon's hands that should have gripped a scalpel or cranial saw, slid up under his shirt again, this time hot with discovery and passion, and pulled the garment almost reverently off of Sirius head. Their lips met again, parting to breathe and remove clothes, and Remus arched into Sirius' body, now delightfully borderline naked.

"I want to fuck you so bad baby," Sirius groaned, not sure how much longer he could stand not being inside Remus or have the other boy inside himself. Either or; he wasn't a picky fellow. "I couldn't play the tease even if I wanted to."

Remus pushed off from the door and pressed Sirius backward until he felt his legs bump into the edge of his bed. "Then you should stop talking and start fucking."

Sirius smirked as Remus pushed him and he fell into a heap on his bed, the graceful lycanthrope sliding on top of him, his rock hard phallus dragging lustily over an expanse of smooth, firm thigh. Sirius sat up and kissed Remus again, almost chastely. Then his lips moved to press into his collarbone and pulse point, then lower to the top of his pectoral muscle. Remus leaned back as Sirius' mouth finally covered his nipple, pulling it into his mouth and sucking hard at it, gnawing softly but persistently, making Remus want to explode.

His fingers clenched in Sirius hair, and he could feel the soft tendrils of hair tickling his chest. Sirius' hands slid up the underside of his cock, feather light and teasing, then swirled deliriously around the velvet head of his member before enveloping the entire circumference of the engorged organ with his palm and sliding it downward. "Sirius…" The name came out a breathy hiss and Sirius felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at it.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you baby," Sirius groaned into his nipple, his cock aching as Remus gripped his buttocks. "I want to hear you say it."

"Ohh Sirius," Remus panted as the younger of the two fisted his cock, making him want to come. "Oh yes, fuck me. Please, God, _fuck_ me…"

Sirius pulled his underpants off with surprising agility and the soared haphazardly to land on the lampshade near the door, matching the rest of the clothing strewn about in a very Sirius-like fashion. Remus shifted as Sirius pressed the head of his cock to his willing entrance, bracing himself for the penetration. "One more time," Sirius breathed, voice barely audible above the sounds of their laboured breathing and pounding hearts.

"Fuck me babe…" Remus commanded, and felt Sirius push the entire meaty length of his manhood against his sphincter. He could feel the blissful intrusion sending fire through his body as a moan escaped his throat and he arched terrifically. "Fuck me," he repeated as Sirius forced himself in, agonizingly slow. "Fuck me.

Sirius panted and felt like he was going to come as soon as his entire length was buried in Remus' behind. But he grit his teeth and pulled out, sliding back in slowly, drawing out every delicious moan from Remus' larynx. The lycan could feel every ridge and vein as it slid intimately against his opening, and felt the blind, stabbing pleasure that Sirius' cock rubbing against his prostate brought. He relished it, and arched more fully as Sirius continued to stroke him in time to his thrusting. It was all too much for Remus' brain to understand.

He felt drugged. His mouth was dry and sticky; his throat hoarse from his frantic, open-mouthed breathing, and his mind whirled. It felt unreal that a mere twelve hours ago (possible more, possibly less; time seemed to have slowed and distorted) he had gotten out of bed and made ready to go through a horribly horrific day. And it had been. And then he'd seen Sirius again and… it was like before.

Time didn't matter, the days were just pieces of stolen time with Sirius, just like the last time. Nothing really mattered, except the two of them and their panting, hot breaths and the sinfully delicious friction their bodies made together. Remus couldn't think, couldn't process what was happening. He didn't care that he hadn't seen this boy in three years, or that he knew he was a werewolf. He didn't really even care that this, their intimate love-making, could probably never happen again because of the countless Ministry by-laws and rules they'd undoubtedly just broken. Not in this timeless moment. This fairy-tale illusion they had woven together.

Sirius grunting over him seemed to break Remus from his trance, and he eagerly met the other boy's lips with his own, hungry and needy like his lover was.

They rutted like mad animals in heat, all sweaty and passionate, and carnal and raw. Groans and lusty moans were torn raggedly form their throats until, at last, at long last, they came, in perfect synchronism. Sirius bit down hard on Remus' shoulder as he buried himself one last time in his arse to stifle his scream. He felt the sunburst explosion of his orgasm in the tight, unforgiving heat of Remus asshole, and felt the boy quiver, arch, and come into his skillful hand simultaneously.

Sirius, no longer able to move, simple collapsed, his semi-erect cock, still to the hilt in his lover's backside. Remus didn't mind, as he himself was rather incapable of movement or speech at the moment. The blinding flash of ecstasy left a white spot in his vision for several long moments as he drifted on the aftershocks of completion.

Finally, Sirius mustered enough energy to pull out and roll over, smiling softly as Remus curled into his side. "You were right y'know," he murmured absently.

Remus looked at him/ "Of course I was. About what though?"

"Three years ago, you said we'd meet again. And we have."

"Yeah," Remus said softly. "Yeah I did…"

"Only this time," Sirius replied, looking Remus directly into his molten amber eyes, any trace of his usual jovial exterior gone, and only hard, raw emotion emanated from him in the late afternoon sunshine, "I won't let you get away. I love you."

Remus swallowed, feeling hollow. He didn't want to hurt Sirius, but didn't want him to live in some dream world where they could plausibly be together. "I love you too." He whispered. He was just too damn polite for his own good sometimes.

XXX

**Author's Note: **so here it is, the sequel to Riding Lessons. And, I HAVE GREAT NEWS!! Since I'm obsessed horribly with fan fiction, I've decided to make this an on-going fic! So there will be more to this story, so don't forget to add me to your alerts. Heh heh. Clicky the purple button? Please? Cheers!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for some sexual content, violence and language. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **woot! Chapter two! Now as I've been threatened with death by all manner of methods to get this out, here it is. At long last…heh, heh. You love me… SO! Here we go…enjoy! Cheers!

XXX

Remus hated himself. Pure and simple, he fucking _hated_ himself. He rubbed his fingers hard into his eye sockets as colours burst behind his eyelids and sighed hugely. It was morning, and he was still in Sirius' bed, the black-haired youth sleeping exhaustedly beside him. The lycan would undoubtedly be sleeping as well, as he functioned poorly on little sleep, but his conscience had been niggling at him the entire night, and he had tossed and turned uncomfortably, his stomach in knots.

He knew in his heart of hearts that he had to tell Sirius the truth. He knew that it would eat him alive from the inside out if he didn't, and he didn't want Sirius to wear rose coloured glasses for the rest of…however long this could last. It was simple; he just…didn't love him. He cared about him, sure, probably more than he cared for anyone in this god damned city, but that didn't mean he loved him. Not by a long shot.

Remus sighed and finally sat up. The clock across the room read 5:03 am and Sirius looked like he could sleep all the rest of the morning away still (which wasn't surprising, as they'd been up _rather_ late). Remus debated whether he had the guts to just get up and leave without a word or not. It would certainly save a confrontation of epic proportions, but then he knew that he would undoubtedly break Sirius' heart forever. He'd be the one who'd gotten away not just once, but twice. Fuck. Decisions, decisions…

Either way, he had to use the bathroom, so he had to get out of this bed. Then after he relieved himself, maybe he would be able to decide what the bloody hell to do. Unlikely, but hey, he could dream. Remus slid cautiously out of the large bed and Sirius kept snoring.

The lycanthrope swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Sirius didn't appear to have an en suite, which meant he would have to find his clothes to exit the room. Or just run and hope no one saw him, but he wasn't really the exhibitionist type. He looked at the clothes strewn about and spotted his pants, hurriedly grabbing them up and pulling them on. At least he had some modicum of dignity now…

He looked about for his shirt, but there were so many of Sirius' own clothes everywhere, it was impossible to locate it. The same seemed to go for his socks and so Remus carefully opened the bedroom door noiselessly and slipped out to the bathroom in just his pants.

He opened the bathroom door after he was finished, wishing he had a toothbrush. Fingers were just no substitutes for a decent toothbrush… He looked up as he made to go back to Sirius' bedroom (he couldn't just run away half naked) and saw Sirius leaning against the doorjamb, a grin on his face and the sheets wrapped toga-style around himself.

His face split into a huge yawn, and he rumpled his hair. "Morning," he said, voice thick from tiredness and lingering arousal. Not to mention the copious shouting and moaning from the previous night. Remus smiled slightly.

"Morning," he echoed.

"So what are you doing up so early?" Sirius questioned, moving toward Remus, his sheet-toga rustling hilariously.

Remus tried not laugh at him. "Couldn't sleep. Erm…did you want to maybe put some pants on?" Sirius gyrated his hips to some unknown music in a would-be-sensual (if it didn't look so ridiculous) way, and Remus laughed out loud.

Sirius pouted, but took it in stride. "Yeah," he said smiling, rustling back to the bedroom. Remus wandered into the living and kitchen area that he hadn't really been paying attention to before. It was small, but still spacious, and decorated in typical bachelor fashion. A mess for the most part, and compiled of mismatched aged furniture. The kitchen had new-ish appliances and was bright and painted a cheery orange. Remus liked it immensely.

Just as he leaned over the sink to try to look out the tiny window, he felt a pair of strong, definitely male, and bare arms wrap around his middle, and felt Sirius press himself to his backside. Gentle lips trailed over the back of his exposed neck and Remus tried to will away the goose bumps that shivered down his arms with little success. "I'm back," Sirius murmured. "Hungry?" His fingers dipped traitorously lower, playing over Remus' navel and dipping into the waistband of his pants.

Remus shrugged noncommittally, and Sirius pulled back slightly to allow him to stand fully and compose himself. "So who does the cooking?" Remus asked, looking doubtful that either Sirius or James could do any better than macaroni and cheese. Sirius smirked as he stood entirely too close for Remus to be able to think properly in his plaid pyjama pants.

"I do the cooking. James is a disaster in the kitchen, even with a wand. Plus I took Muggle studies, which makes me a virtual _professional_ with those handy Muggle inventions like stoves and ovens and stuff." Remus suppressed a smile. "So," Sirius said again. "Care to see the extent of my cooking skills? I make a killer omelet…"

Remus shook his head. "I…I can't. I have to go." He made to move around Sirius, but the black-haired youth put an arm out to stop him, effectively pinning him back in front of the counter.

"It's barely even morning though. Where do you have to go?"

"I just have to go," Remus said, unable to look Sirius in the eye, which he knew was probably just as much of a give away as the lie in his eyes would have been if he had been able to look at him. "I shouldn't even have stayed last night… Please, Sirius, I need to leave. Now."

Sirius ignored him and moved closer, his hands running up the sensitive skin at Remus' sides, hoping to persuade him to stay simply to have sex again. He didn't want to believe Remus could lie to him. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Remus was capable of lying at all… His head tilted up slightly and he kissed Remus gently and moved even closer still. "Remus," he murmured softly. His face loomed closer until his mouth was against the lycan's ear. "Remus, please… Stay. Stay with me." He narrowed the gap between them so that a mere whisper of air remained between their bodies; it seemed to crackle with electricity. Remus could feel the hot tantalizing breath of his lover; could feel the soft contours of his lips over the shell of his own ear. "Remus," Sirius whispered, his voice desperate with longing desire. "Remus stay with me. Please…Remus…"

"I can't," he whispered back, hands sweating deep inside his pockets. They itched to run through Sirius' unruly bed head or caress his shirtless torso. Any part of the younger man, he just wanted to touch him. His felt his resolve beginning to crumble and steadfastly pushed the thoughts aside. "I just can't."

Sirius stepped backward, arms dropping. "Why?" he demanded. "You owe me that much. Why not?"

Remus looked away from the raw emotion he saw shining in Sirius' eyes. He hadn't wanted to go through this part…most especially not his part. "I don't…I…I just don't think I…feel the same."

Sirius' jaw dropped and his mouth fell open in a perfect 'o'. "What do you mean?" he whispered, hurt and betrayal clear in the deep timbre of his voice. "How can you not feel the same?" His mind was whirling. "You…you told me… You said last night… Were those just words to you? Did you honestly not mean it? Was it just to get me to fuck you again?" Remus flinched at the harshness of the words, spat with such bitterness and rising anger.

"Sirius-" Remus began in reply, but was rather unceremoniously interrupted.

"You lied to me. You fucking _lied_ to me! I fucking told you I loved you and you just lied right to my fucking face!"

"Sirius let me explain. I-"

"Let you explain? Explain what? It's all pretty clear to me… I told you I loved you and you lied by saying it back to me." He spoke as if stating irreversible fact of ultimate truth. "What is there to explain Remus? Fuck!" He sat on one of the kitchen chairs, head in his hands. "This isn't happened," he murmured to himself. "It's isn't, it just…can't be…"

"Sirius," said Remus, putting a gentle hand on the younger man's shoulder, "I never meant to hurt you, I-"

Sirius laughed, but it was cold and bitter and utterly devoid of humour. It chilled Remus to the bone to hear such a normally happy go lucky guy laugh in such a way. "Yeah, well you fucking failed miserably then." He stood angrily and started pacing back and forth in front of Remus, whose eyes followed him silently. "I mean fuck!" Sirius growled. A million and one questions swirled through his consciousness. "I told you I loved you… Fuck, Remus, _I'm in love with you_! And you just…" Sirius wanted to cry but there were no tears. And besides, Blacks didn't cry. He felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out, and that soon he would just cease to be, and life would be a hollow shell of it's former self.

Remus sighed and sat down in the other f the kitchen chairs, across from the one Sirius had occupied. "What do you want me to say, Sirius? I'm sorry? Alright, I'm fucking sorry. I can't _make_ myself feel something I don't."

Sirius whirled around, glaring. "You're right, you can't make yourself feel something you don't want to, but you don't have to fucking lie about it!! Christ Remus! Do you know how many people I've ever said I love you to and actually meant it? You want to know that all-powerful number? Four; four fucking people. My mother, my father, my brother and the very first girlfriend I ever had. And guess how many of those people said 'I love you' back? Guess." He didn't pause, and Remus didn't try to answer. "None. Until you. You were number five, and I thought, hey, maybe the fifth time is the charm. And when you said it back, I felt like a million fucking galleons. I felt like fucking Jesus. But you just _lied_ to me. You didn't mean a word of it. I mean, if you had just said you didn't love me, I would have gotten over it; hell that's been the story of my _life_. Like you said, I can't make you love me; but at least be a fucking man and tell me the truth!" His chest was heaving with emotion, and he felt like he might just cry after all. His face was burning in indignation and his stomach felt like lead.

"I lied to you because I didn't want to hurt you!" Remus shouted. "And for your information, you aren't the only one to have a shitty childhood, Sirius!" Only the rest of us have moved on; realized that it's done and in the _past_. Get the fuck over yourself!!"

"Get out. Get the fuck out right fucking now," Sirius said, voice deadly calm, his barely contained rage fighting to unleash the storm that his calm preceded. "Get out of my fucking apartment and don't ever fucking come back you son of a bitch. I don't know how I ever even thought I could love you; you're a fucking monster." His voice was thick with unveiled loathing and animosity, and if Remus hadn't been spoken to in the same voice by countless faceless others, he might have recoiled.

The lycanthrope stood up to his full height, his jaw clenched hard, making speech almost impossible. "Fine," he replied flatly, and turned toward the door, not even caring that he still hadn't located his shirt or socks. He stuffed his feet angrily into shoes he didn't recall removing the previous afternoon. "But let me tell you one thing," he said, turning back to face the darker haired boy.

"What?" Sirius snapped.

"No one will ever love you until you love yourself," he said quietly, in a voice Sirius didn't have to strain to hear. He put his hand on the doorknob and opened it.

"Thanks Oprah," Sirius sneered, looking every inch the spoiled pompous little shit everyone thought him to be. "But I've broken the nasty habit of believing anything that comes out of your mouth." Remus turned to face him on the other side of the door and Sirius gripped the door handle firmly in his hand. "After all, you are a _werewolf_." And with a last haughty glare, he slammed the door in Remus' face.

XXX

Sirius glared at the television, one of the few Muggle luxuries he and James had agreed they absolutely _needed_ in the flat, unseeingly. He couldn't get Remus' words out of his mind, no matter how many mindless infomercials he watched. He knew the stupid bastard was wrong. He did love himself. He was probably one of the only ones who fucking _did_ in this world… How dare that arrogant fuck try to tell him what he did and didn't feel!!

He also felt an unshakable niggling feeling of guilt. He'd acted like a spoiled prick, he knew, and half the things he'd said to Remus (most especially the werewolf dig) would undoubtedly leave more emotional scars on him. And he couldn't help feeling guilty, because despite his best intentions, he still loved Remus. Just like he still loved his parents and brother and the little girl who'd told him they had to break up because he had cooties.

But possibly even worse, was that deep down, in some subconscious way, he knew that Remus had been completely right. He didn't love himself and he'd spent too much of his life preoccupied with himself. He didn't know how to make and maintain relationships and hadn't, until now, really had the desire to. He was an asshole of the grandest kind.

"Hey mate, why are you watching the Space Age Spatula infomercial again?" James asked, flopping onto the couch beside Sirius. The other boy made no reply. James frowned. "What's wrong? And where's your…er…friend?"

"He left."

James, who had known Sirius almost entire life, and possibly knew him better than anyone else, knew when to probe for details and when not to. And he knew that when Sirius simply said nothing at all, it was time to probe him for details, and get him to open up a little and get whatever it was off his chest. "And you just let him?"

Sirius shrugged and stared blankly at the TV some more. James propped his feet on the coffee table. "What about your bird?" Sirius asked, more out of politeness than anything.

James grimaced, realizing Sirius was drawing the conversation away from himself, but knowing they would get back to him eventually. "She said she was tired not long after you got here. And that her boyfriend was taking her out to dinner later." Sirius snorted. "I know," James sighed dramatically. "And I never even got to third base… I assume your night was better?" Sirius shrugged again. "Don't lie," James cackled. "I see those hickies all over your neck.

The longer-haired boy tugged his t-shirt collar up. "Yeah, well…" They watched television for a bit in silence and watched as the Space Age Spatula infomercial changed to early morning cartoons. "James, can I ask you something?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Sure," James replied, trying not to smile. He loved it when he was right.

"Do you think I'm an asshole?"

James frowned and glanced over at Sirius, whose gaze remained resolutely on the screen before them. "Like…all the time? 'Cause if you mean all the time, then no. Sometimes, sure, but who isn't?"

Sirius nodded and they watched some more cartoons. "Remus left because we fought," he murmured finally, so low James almost missed it.

"What did you fight about?" James asked cautiously, well aware this was possibly _very_ dangerous territory.

"I told him…I said I loved him. I mean, I told him three years ago, but that was mostly 'cause I thought I'd never see him again, but then I said it again last night, and I actually meant it, y'know?"

"And?" James asked gently.

"He said it back." Sirius sighed morosely.

"So what's the problem?"

"He said he didn't mean it this morning. He just said it 'cause he didn't want to hurt my feelings… And we had this huge fight and I said things and he said things, and I said some more things. I think I hurt him bad Jamie…but…"

"He hurt you too." It wasn't a question. Sirius nodded, biting his lower lip to keep the tears at bay and staring hard at the TV screen. "But you still care about him." Sirius nodded again. "And you don't want to lose him." Another nod. "What are you going to do?"

"I dunno man… I don't even know where he's staying or anything…"

James looked at Sirius. "You're not a bad person mate. No matter what this bloke said, or says or thinks, you're not. I know you. You don't think before you open your mouth, but I know you aren't a bad person. And you're nothing like them."

Sirius didn't have to ask whom he was referring to. He smiled, but it was rueful and bittersweet. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

XXX

Lily Evans cursed as the sound of rapping at her door grew in intensity. Apparently some people had no notion of the term 'lie-in' and enjoyed ruining it for other people.

She yawned hugely and went to her front door, staring over her shoulder longingly into her bedroom at the rumpled warmth of her bed as she undid the lock. She opened the door an inch. "What?" she demanded.

"It's me."

"Remus?"

"Who else?"

Lily hurriedly undid the chain and opened the door wider to a shirtless and rather haggard-looking Remus Lupin. He stepped into her flat gratefully and she shut the door behind him. "So do I want to ask why you aren't wearing a shirt and why you're at my house at seven in the morning?" she asked with a friendly smile, flicking the switch on her coffeemaker to start the brewing process for that liquid energy.

"No, you want to ask me if I'd like some tea."

"Would you like some tea?" Lily asked in her best prim-and-proper-old-lady voice. Remus smirked and nodded. "And would you like to borrow a shirt for the time being?"

"Yes," he said, smiling a bit wider. "As long as there's no unicorns or anything on it." Lily laughed as she disappeared into her bedroom and came back carrying an oversized t-shirt, tossing it at Remus, who hastily put it on. "Thanks."

The two chatted easily as the coffee brewed, and once it was finished, Lily poured them both a cup. "So," she said, sitting down across form Remus at her kitchen table as he sipped the delightfully strong beverage. "I know you said I shouldn't ask, but what _are_ you doing at my flat so early in the morning without a shirt?"

Remus sighed and set down his coffee cup, staring into it. "I kind of…had a one-night stand last night."

Lily arched an eyebrow. "Oh really. Go on…"

Remus absently traced patterns on the table. "Well, you know the guy I mentioned around when we first met, from the ranch?" Lily nodded. "Well, I met him the other day when I was…doing something at the Ministry. Anyway, he asked me out, and we ended up going back to his place after making out on his motorcycle, and I ended up staying the night."

There was a silence, and Lily 'hmm'ed. Somehow, despite being a Muggle, she'd known about the magical world, and Remus had been able to confide in her his exiled-wizard status, though had drawn the line at his lycanthropy. She might understand some things, and he was grateful for that, but he didn't want her getting freaked out or something if she found out. Because he really rather liked having a best friend. "Still not getting the point or my answer," she said when Remus made no move to continue.

"He told me he loved me."

"And?" Lily prodded.

"And," Remus said with a huge, fringe-fluttering sigh, "I said it back. But I didn't mean it. And…it's complicated. I told him this morning I didn't mean it, because, y'know, it's kind f harsh to just lie. We had this crazy row and I said a lot of mean things to him. I never meant to hurt him Lily," he said, eyes pleading for her to believe him. She nodded hurriedly, reaching out and putting a comforting hand over his. "Then he said some things to me, and slammed the door in my face. And here I am, shirtless because I couldn't find my shirt in the morning when I got up, and here because I don't know where else to go."

"You don't have a place to stay??" Lily asked, incredulous. Remus shrugged noncommittally. "You ruddy ponce! Why didn't you say that when you first came here? Christ, Remus, you can stay here with me, if you need to."

"I don't want to put you out…" Remus said, as Lily got up and put her half-finished coffee in the sink.

"Nonsense," she said brusquely. "You're staying with me. And that's final. Now, I assume you must have some things? D'you want to get them and then come back here?" Remus nodded, touched beyond words as he stood. Lily folded him into her arms. "I'm going to love having you here, I know it." She beamed at him, and Remus smiled weakly back. He had just realized something. The full moon was in just over a week, and he had just agreed to move in with his very Muggle best friend. His very Muggle best friend who didn't know about his condition… Fuck.

XXX

Lily closed the door behind Remus some minutes later, and leaned against it. She ran a hand through the unruly mass of her bright red hair and sighed. She hadn't really thought about what it would entail having Remus stay with her for an indefinite amount of time. He would find out. She knew he would; he was as smart as they come and intuitive to a fault. Great.

She sighed again, pushing off the door, and went into her bedroom, opening the closet door. Frowning at the giant pile of laundry that greeted her, she stepped onto it, and felt around the top shelf for the box she knew was up there.

Her fingers finally closed around it, and she pulled the slightly dusty, thin red box from its hiding place. She took the lid off and pulled out the ten inch long piece of wood. She hadn't used her wand in years. Hadn't wanted to or been able to. She honestly doubted if she would be able to now…

Meandering back out of her room and down the brief almost non-existent hallway of her flat, Lily came to the tiny spare bedroom, and opened the door. Several boxes full of her stuff she hadn't bothered unpacking a year ago when she moved in blocked the entrance, along with a jumble of useless furniture and junk. She took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. It was now or never. She had to get back on the horse at some point, and now was as good a time as ever…

Waving the bit of wood experimentally, she murmured the incantation, and was delighted when a particularly ugly vase her sister had given to her Vanished. She tried the spell again, and this time, more of her junk was cleared away.

In minutes, the room was clear, curtains were hanging on the window, the slightly broken old bed she had jammed in the room was fixed, assembled and now sported a mattress and clean sheets. There was a small chest of drawers in one corner and a desk and chair in the other. Lovely.

She exited the room, closing the door again behind her, and went back to her room to put her wand away again. It was thrilling to know she still had the gift, that she could still tame her magical power and focus it through the large-ish stick, but now it was time to put it away. She retrieved the box from where she had tossed it on her bed and put her wand in it.

But just as she was putting the lid back on, she felt something inside her shift. Lily sighed and sat down on her bed, the tears coming thick and fast, dropping like rain onto the piece of wood that lay oblivious in its box. It still hurt, even after all this time.

Jamming the lid back on the box, she stuffed it into her beside table drawer and slammed the drawer shut. She wiped her eyes and went to the bathroom to wash her face before Remus came back. There was a reason she hadn't used magic in so long, and she should have known that to use it would only bring back the horrid remembrance.

Sometimes things just needed to stay forgotten in the smothering depths of the past. Sometimes it was easier to just leave things behind.

XXX

**Author's Note:** OOH!! PLOT TWISTS!! Haha… Anyhooters, yeah, I have a vaguely clear idea of where I want this to go, so YAY! And the update took less time than I thought it would… YAY!! So please review and tell me what you thought. Love! Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for some sexual content, violence and language. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **heh heh heh…I'm such a jerk for leaving it like that. But I'm glad you all liked the Lily bit. But this chapter is where it gets CRAZY. Muwahaha…here we go. Cheers!

PS. – Gwah… So I read through all my reviews and they make me tingly inside. XD YAY! I'm so glad everyone likes it and I hope I don't lose anyone from this chapter!!

XXX

Sirius shivered as fingers slid teasingly down his chest, awakening his desire. He felt fire coursing through him in place of blood in his veins and he felt hot to the touch. Arching delectably into the touch, he gasped as lips sought his nipple and teeth pulled at it delightfully.

"Mmm…yes. So good," his lover murmured dreamily, pressing closer to him, rubbing erotically up and down over his splendid erection. He made to reach out, but his lover pulled his hands back down, grinning. Sirius grinned back, hands resting up over his head to avoid temptation.

His lover's mouth trailed a steady course down Sirius' stomach, and he thrust forward, his hard-on aching desperately for that sinful mouth to wrap around it and devour it in its wet warmth. "Please," he murmured, feeling his passion burning him up.

He groaned when his lover put a finger in his mouth and pulled it back out, gently sliding it down the ridge on the underside of his rock hard cock. Sirius groaned, and the sound was loud in his ears. His body pulsed with heat in time to his erratic heartbeats and he struggled to breathe. "Mmm, Merlin…"

The voice was silky seductive in its reply. "I should hope not Merlin… You know who I am. Say my name…" A hand gripped the length of his phallus.

"Remus," he breathed.

"Again. Louder." The heavenly friction of Remus' hand over his cock increased.

"Remus!"

His lover slid up his body, amber eyes seeming to glow with the same fire that burned Sirius torturously. His breath was hot in Sirius' ear and it seemed he would spontaneously combust from the now feverish fisting of his member. "_Louder,_" he hissed.

"REMUS!"

Sirius snapped into consciousness with startling, complete speediness. It was as though he had switched a light on in his mind, as there he was. He realized in the next moment that he was sweating, his mouth was dry as parchment, and was currently tangled ferociously in his blanket. "Fuck," he breathed, reaching over for the glass of water he kept on his beside table for occasions such as this. He gulped the liquid, the quenching a relief to his grateful throat and mouth. He set the glass back down and untangled himself, trying to avoid his still raging hard-on.

Once he was untangled he sat back, sipping some more water, and trying to push lingering remnants of his dream aside. His heart was still pounding overly loud in his ears and he felt a trickle of sweat slip down the back of his neck. He threw off his blankets and headed for the shower. He needed to cool down and have a good wank.

By they time he made it in to work, he was exhausted, having been unable to get back to sleep. Every time he had shut his eyes, he had been plagued with thoughts and visions of a temptingly naked Remus poised over him, touching and caressing, kissing and licking… As a result, he had dark circles beneath his eyes and a recurring yawn.

He glanced up, bored, from the front desk, where he had again been placed to his chagrin, as an official-looking man came forward, and put a thick sheaf of parchments on Sirius' desk.

"These need to be signed by a member of this department for clearance on animal seventeen J six."

Sirius pulled the stack toward himself wearily. "Clearance for what?" he asked blandly, flipping through the pages. "And which member needs to sign?"

"That's classified. And they just need to be signed off by someone from your department. I suggest it be you, I've got things that need doing." Sirius sent him and angry look, and hurried jotted his signature at the first designated area. He made to pass the papers back to the man, but he waved them off.

"Keep going. We need it more than once."

Sirius sighed and flipped through, signing at the designated spots and not bothering to look over the documents. He was tired and had a monumental headache from lack of sleep and just wanted his day to be over. He signed the last page and folded the parchments back over and passed it to the man.

"Thanks," the official said. "You've just done the wizarding community a favour."

Sirius smiled thinly. "Really?" he asked dubiously, hoping the man would just leave.

"You bet. I don't care what the bleeding hearts say; some beasts deserve to be locked up for what they are. You have a great day now!" He tapped the stack of processed trees on the desk and moved away, leaving Sirius to stare blankly after him.

Locked up?

XXX

"I really appreciate this Lily," Remus said for the three hundredth time in two days as he cooked her dinner. Lily, who had just gotten in from class, sighed contentedly at the smell of delicious food cooking, and dropped her heavy bag on the floor, slumping into one of her kitchen chairs dejectedly.

"And for the eight billionth time you're welcome Remus," Lily said with a grin. She was exhausted (medical school could do that to a person) and she just wanted to eat and vegetate in front of the telly.

Remus served up the plates and set on in front of Lily, who immediately began mowing down on it as though she'd never tasted real food before and might never live to taste it again. "S have I told you how much I love having you live with me?" she managed to get out through a mouthful of the savory goodness Remus had cooked up. "'Cause I really do. Love it. 'Specially your cooking."

Remus smiled indulgently and looked back at his own plate. His stomach was in knots. The full moon was approaching and if he knew Lily at all, she wouldn't buy one of his flimsy ready-made excuses as to why he had to leave. He toyed absently with a vegetable with his fork. "Lily?" he croaked softly, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Lily?" he asked.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, smiling lightly, and swallowed a mouthful of food. "What can I do you for?"

"I…" he sighed and shook his head. He didn't have the balls to do it. But then his resolve hardened. Maybe because it _was_ so close to the full moon or because he felt he could entrust Lily with this mother of all deep dark secrets, but he suddenly decided he _would_ tell her, no matter the consequence. "Do you know what a werewolf is?"

Lily's brow furrowed. She wasn't one for hedging around things, and it rather confused her when Remus did it. "Sure," she replied. "They're people who come out at the full moon as wolves, howl, eat people. I've heard of them, but they aren't _real_. Why do you ask?"

Remus fidgeted and tried not to smile at her rather encompassing summary of his condition. Minus the whole eating people thing, it was pretty much true. And he wished with all his heart they weren't real. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. _You can do this,_ he told himself. _Just fucking say it. She won't hate you. It's Lily…Lily is incapable of hate. Right?_

"Remus?" Lily said softly, trying to coax him out of his silence.

"I'mawerewolf!"

Lily blinked once, twice and then put down her fork. "Come again?"

Remus sighed and put his own cutlery down. "You know how I told you I was a wizard?" Lily froze. This was metaphorically shark-filled waters they were treading here… She nodded. "Well," he said sighing, "that's kind of only part of what I am. I'm a werewolf… I was bitten when I was five and that's why I couldn't go to a normal magical school. My mum taught me what little I know, but I could never be accepted into the magical world, so I just…faded into Muggle life I guess." As Remus spoke, he stared fixedly at his plate, not daring to look up, not wanting to see the horrified look on his best friend's face or see the revulsion that would undoubtedly be in her eyes.

The silence was heavy and neither could find words to speak. Finally, unable to stand the tension any more, Remus mumbled, "I'm sorry. I'll go pack my things."

He made to get up and lily finally found her voice. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you going to pack your things? Fuck me, Remus; you didn't think I would hate you because of that did you? You did!"

"Well, Lily, most people do." Remus finally found the courage to look into her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief. He felt light as a feather, seeing nothing but indignant outrage on her face, mixed liberally with a good dose of shock. Which was to be expected considering.

The redhead's mouth quirked to the side. "True I suppose. But, I mean, as long as you're safe, and stuff-"

"I am. I take the necessary precautions."

"Alright. Well roomy, now that that's settled, I say we move onto more interesting conversation topics." Remus smiled, too delighted to argue and began to eat with vigor. "I was wondering when you plan to confront this Sirius fellow."

Remus almost choked on his dinner. "What?" he gasped.

"Sirius. That little…fling or whatever you had. When are you going to confront him? I've seen the way you stare off into space and I _know_ you're thinking about him. Just go apologize for whatever it is you said, and make it up with him. Easy."

Remus gaped. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Lily asked airily, waving her fork and sending a green bean flying, landing under the fridge to live in exile. "You know where he lives, don't you?"

"Were you a stalker in some previous life or something?" Remus asked dryly.

Lily giggled. "Probably. But seriously… No pun intended. Just go and say 'I'm sorry I said whatever I said, and I want you to know that I'm still hot for you. Let's shag.' Simple."

Remus snorted. "Right. For one, he'll probably just slam the door in my face. For two, I'm not saying that. And for three, it's _not_ simple."

"C'mon Remus. You deserve this. I'll even go with you. Please?" she pouted. "For me?"

Remus groaned and slumped in his chair. "Why do I get the feeling you're getting some sick pleasure out of this and that you won't shut up if I don't say yes?"

"Because I am and I won't." She smiled brightly and Remus shrugged.

"Fine."

"Excellent! We'll go after dinner!!"

"What? Oh fuck…fine then." Remus shook his head. Lily Evans was too persuasive for her own good…

XXX

"Coming!" James trilled to the door as he dashed by, attempting to throw Sirius' discarded laundry from the living room to his room without moving. Suddenly, though, Sirius Apparated in and James glared at him. "Did you just ring the doorbell to piss me off?"

"No!" James looked as if he heartily doubted this, but when the bell chimed again, he turned to open it, Sirius, however, dove past him, somehow doing a feat of acrobatics and landing on his feet, and pulled open the door ahead of him. James, who stood just behind, smacked him upside the head. "Yes?" he drawled, turning to face whomever might be at the door. But upon seeing who it was, he blanched. "Remus?"

Just then Lily stepped out from behind him. "And guest!" she beamed.

James, who was looking over Sirius' shoulder, felt his jaw drop. "Evans?"

Lily looked at him and her eyes narrowed. "Potter."

Sirius looked confused, as did Remus. "Evans?" Sirius asked, glancing over his shoulder at his best mate as Remus looked questioningly at Lily. "Evans!" he repeated, getting the reference now. "What the-?"

"Are you going to invite us in, or shall we just continue this lovely chat on your doorstep?" Lily asked coolly.

Sirius stepped back, bumping into James, who still stood speechless, and opened the door so the other two could come in. When everyone was finally behind closed doors, Sirius looked at Remus, who was wringing his hands. "So…not that I mind a social call, but…did you have a specific reason for being here?"

Lily arched a red brow and made to say something, but Remus shook his head minimally. "I need to talk to you," he said softly, and then blushed. "If you don't mind that is."

"Course not. Er…let's go and…talk in my room." Remus followed him back, out of sight, leaving James and Lily alone in the living area.

"Look," Remus began as soon as Sirius had closed his bedroom door and they obtained privacy, but Sirius held up his hand.

"I know you need to talk, but I just want to say I realize I was a complete prick, and I'm sorry, and I never should have said those things to you, and…yeah. I'm sorry. Really. Really sorry."

Remus smiled slightly. "Me too. That's why I'm here. I mean, I care about you, and…and well I kind of miss you as crazy as that might sound, and I'm really sorry too. For what I said… I was out of line." Sirius shook his head, his silky locks flying back and forth.

"No, you weren't. I was in the wrong." Remus smirked openly now.

"Don't make me snap on you again." Sirius chuckled, and Remus stuck his hand out to shake, but Sirius merely hugged him. Remus froze slightly, and then hugged back, holding Sirius tight.

"I missed you too," he whispered as they broke apart and Remus smiled shyly, looking up at him through his lashes.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. And I dreamt about you."

"Oh really?" Remus drawled. "And what did this dream entail?"

Sirius blushed hard, remembering the hot dreams that left him achingly hard and unsatisfied. "Well…I could tell you… Or better yet," he murmured, sidling up to Remus, gently pulling him closer, hesitantly, as if unsure of what the reaction might be. "I could show you."

Their mouths met, gentle and soft, tongues dipping forward at the same moment, startling both as they touched intimately and the delved into one another's mouths. Remus tried to restrain himself, but it was damn near impossible so close to the full. Sirius was holding him lightly, gently caressing his back through the fabric of his shirt, and Remus let his hands slide through Sirius' perfect hair, mussing it completely, tilting his head to the other side and trying to refrain from slamming the other man against the wall and fucking him senseless.

Sirius groaned, deep and needy in the back of his throat and Remus let his mouth descend downward over the pale column of the other's neck, kissing and licking and sucking ravenously. "Mmm god…" Sirius breathed. Remus could take it no longer, and walked them backward into the nearest wall, pressing the other man to it, and grinding sensually against him, going back to his mouth and kissing him.

Just as Sirius was running his hands up under Remus' shirt, itching to simply rip it off his lover, there was a resounding slap from the living room, followed immediately by a howl of pain. The two broke apart, panting lightly, and looked at one another. "I fear my best friend may have just hit your best friend," Remus said somberly, rather annoyed that the mood was ruined.

Sirius groaned at the loss of possible hot crazy make-up sex with Remus. "I suppose we should go break it up?" he asked resignedly.

Remus nodded miserably and Sirius pressed his lips to the corner of the lycan's jaw. "To be continued then."

XXX

Lily wrinkled her nose at a t-shirt that was hanging dejectedly off the arm of the couch, and picked it up daintily and tossing it away before she sat primly on the couch, pointedly ignoring James completely.

"So Evans, it's been awhile, eh?" James asked, flopping down beside her casually. Lily glared daggers at him, but he merely grinned and they seemed to bounce off instead of stabbing him repeatedly in the eyes and murdering him how she would have liked.

"You could say that."

"I haven't seen you around… Not working at the Ministry I assume then?" She tried the death glare again, but again it seemed to have no affect whatsoever on James.

"No, I'm not," she quipped, and resumed ignoring him. James' brow furrowed. Even in school, Lily Evans had refuted his attempts to woo her, and it looked as if she was as frigid as ever. He would just have to turn on some of the good ol' Potter charm then!!

"So, what are you doing, then?" he asked politely. Lily grit her teeth and resisted the urge to make up something ridiculous just to see the stupid arrogant smirk she knew he was wearing (he had worn it even in first year) slip off his face. "Hmm, you wouldn't be ignoring me would you?"

"I wouldn't _dream_ of it," she snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Excellent," James aid, grinning again. "So whatever have you done with yourself since Hogwarts then? I see you're still as sinfully hot as you were back then."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I've been busy."

"Doing what?" James coaxed.

"Do you want a running commentary on every millisecond of my life since Hogwarts Potter? Christ…"

James looked a little taken aback. "I see you still have that temper too. And I just want to know what you've been up to. Why is it so hard to answer?" Lily bit her tongue to keep silent. She really hoped Remus was making up with Sirius, because she really wanted to go home. "C'mon Lils…just answer the question."

Finally, Lily could hold back no longer. "Why don't you just shut up Potter? You want to know what I've been doing?" She cast about wildly for something suitably shocking enough. "I'm a stripper. There. Happy now? I take off my clothes for money." James' eyebrows went up, and Lily felt a stab of satisfaction as his smirk flickered in intensity slightly.

"Really… I see…"

"Does that answer your stupid question? God, even at school you were an insufferable jerk. I see _that_ hasn't changed much."

"I didn't mean to pry," James said softly, looking properly chastised. In fact, Lily hated herself for it, but she actually felt a smidge bad about lying to him and shouting at him. Damn! "So do you enjoy your…er…work, then?"

Lily had to bite her tongue again, only this time to keep from laughing. "Oh it's alright. It pays the bills, you know."

James slouched slightly in his seat. "I never really pegged you as the…well, that sort of girl."

Lily smiled coyly, now enjoying herself immensely. "Most don't. That's the beauty of it… And the johns like it."

"Johns?" James asked, sounding a smidge uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Y'know, the guys who come into the club… Some of them are real sweethearts, actually." She tossed her hair and smiled sweetly.

James nodded, looking a bit uncomfortable, but then his smirk returned full force. "Mind if I ask you something? And feel free to say no…" Lily shrugged, indicating she really didn't care. "How about a lap dance?"

Lily jumped to her feet in indignant outrage. "Excuse me?" she spat.

James, who had until that moment forgotten the hair trigger on her temper and the ferocity with which she could verbally abuse someone, felt his face going pale as the blood rushed downward into his groin. Fuck! He crossed his legs hastily, trying not to stare at her chest as it heaved with emotion, or her eyes as they burned with rage, or her hair, which seemed to grow into actual flame in her anger. She was too damn hot when she was angry. "I just meant…as a…a demonstration of your…er…skills!" he stammered.

Lily's lips disappeared into a harsh, unforgiving line and she slapped James Potter as hard as she could, feeling a satisfying sense of accomplishment. She'd wanted to do that for almost a decade.

"OW!!" James cried, his own hand flying to his now bright red cheek. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"Would you like the reasons alphabetically or chronologically?" Lily snapped back.

Just then, Remus and Sirius came into the room, and hurriedly took in the situation. Remus looked slightly mortified and Sirius burst into laughter. He turned to Remus, still giggling. "I _adore_ your best friend." Lily smiled at him and James looked properly outraged. "Excellent job Evans."

"What do you mean, 'excellent job'? You bastard, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"I'm really sorry," Remus began, but Lily glared him down before he could finish, and he merely shrugged sheepishly. He had no wish to get on Lily's bad side, especially in her current mood.

"You deserved it."

James gaped at Lily. "What!?"

"You heard me. You deserved it."

"Lily-" Remus tried, but James interrupted him.

"How the hell did I deserve that? And what the hell! This is my fucking apartment, you can't just slap me in it!"

"Apparently I have," Lily retorted. She turned to Remus. "Have you made up with Black?" Remus nodded. "Then let's go. If I stay here I'm going to hit that insolent _prick_ again." Remus blushed slightly as he kissed Sirius, and promised to drop by later or sometime the next day and then allowed Lily to drag him out the door.

Sirius rounded on James as soon as they had left. "What the hell man! What did you say to go and get Evans pissed off? I was about to get laid!"

James shuddered slightly. "One, a little too much information Sirius. And all I did was ask for a lap dance!" Sirius looked at him as though he was the dumbest person that the world had ever produced. "She's a stripper!! I thought she wouldn't mind!"

XXX

"So are you going to tell me how you know Sirius and James and how they, being wizards recognized you?" Remus asked, trying to keep up with Lily's furious stride as they hurried back to her flat.

Lily slowed slightly to Remus' relief. "I…I'll tell you when we get home." Remus nodded, not commenting on her rather guilty tone and let it be for then. As soon as they stepped in the door, however, he asked her again. "God, you are persistent aren't you?" she asked, dropping onto the sofa and putting her feet up.

"I am. Now tell me," Remus said, sitting down beside her.

"I… You remember how you told me you were a wizard, and you said how shocked you were at how accepting and understanding I was of all that stuff?" Remus nodded. "Well…that's because I'm a witch. I went to Hogwarts with Potter and Black and they were the worst pair of hellions that anyone had ever met and had no respect for anyone or anything. Except they were the height of cool, so no one stood up to them, and they just hexed the bejesus out of anyone who tried."

The lycanthrope looked at his hands. "And you were planning to tell me this, when?" Despite himself, he felt incredibly hurt by this. He had entrusted every secret he had with Lily, even the fact that he was a bloody _werewolf_, and she didn't feel she could return the favour?

Lily sighed and Remus managed to look at her again. "I don't know. I'm sorry Remus…really. I am. I just…that was what my life _used_ to be."

Remus looked confused. "So…why are you…why did you go Muggle?" Lily's face darkened and she looked away. "I'm sorry," Remus said hurriedly. "I mean, it must have been something really bad. You…you don't have to tell me if you don't want."

Lily shook her head and blinked back the impending tears. "I want to tell you," she said in a croaky voice, "but…I've never told anyone why I abandoned magic. It hurts too much…" The tears spotted her t-shirt and jeans despite her best efforts and her shoulders shook. Her throat felt raw and constricted with the force of holding back her sobs and she wiped furiously at her eyes. Remus put his arms around her.

"You don't have to tell me until you're ready," he murmured. "But when you are, I'll be here for you, okay?" She nodded silently. "Hey, why still so glum?" he asked, pulling back slightly.

Lily looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes that clashed horribly with the brilliant green of her eyes, made only more brilliant by the tears shining in them. "I feel like such a bitch!" she cried. "You told me you were a werewolf for fuck sakes, and I can't even tell you… Why is it so hard for me to be honest?" she implored, tears streaking her face anew and leaving little salty trails of moisture.

Remus took her face in his hands and sighed miserably. He loathed seeing such a strong and domineering type of woman like Lily cry. It made him feel helpless. "You just aren't ready. I've been a werewolf since I was five. I've come to terms with it. Obviously whatever happened to you, you haven't come to terms with it yet. But you will. And when you have, I'll be here for you, and you can tell me all about it and cry on my shoulder. Okay?" he said softly.

Lily nodded like an obedient child and smiled a watery little smile. "Now I just feel stupid." Remus grinned at her.

"That's because you can't compare to my cunning genius. It's okay, though, a lot of people feel like that." Lily threw the couch cushion at him.

"Turn on the telly," she ordered, and Remus rolled his eyes, but did so. "Ooh! Excellent, I love this show!" Remus stretched and yawned and plopped back down beside her. "So, how did things end up going with Sirius anyway?" she asked absently.

Remus grinned deviously. "Oh, quite well. I apologized and he apologized too."

"So what took you so long then?" Remus was silently smirking and when Lily tore her eyes away from the screen and looked over at him, she shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Never mind, I think I can guess."

"Well let's just say it would have been _quite_ awhile before we came out again if we hadn't heard you beating up James. …Speaking of which, what did you hit him for?"

Lily snorted. "He started pestering me about what happened to me after Hogwarts, and I never did like him and so I decided to shock him and told him I was a stripper."

Remus burst into laughter. "You didn't!"

"I did too! And he looked right shocked, especially when I went into some vague, made-up details. Then the bastard asked for a lap dance, so I hit him." Remus kept giggling.

"You're horrid. But you were right, he definitely deserved it." Lily grinned across at him.

There was a brief silence as they watched the television programme, and then there was a harsh, loud knock at the door. Lily's brows knit as she and Remus both looked up, but Remus patted her knee. "You watch your show, I'll get it."

He got to the door and was just unlocking it when there was another loud, obscene knock, and a loud voice called, "This is the Ministry of Magic, and if you don't open the door, I'm afraid we'll have to open it for you."

Remus unlocked the door hurriedly as Lily, attention diverted from her show to the scene at the door, looked around the corner. The lycan opened the door. "Yes?" he asked politely.

"Are you Remus Lupin, formerly of the Windermere Ranch and Farms and werewolf number seventeen J six?" asked a rather robust, official-looking man.

Remus glanced over at Lily. "Yes," he said slowly. "What's this about?"

"You need to come with us, son," said the man brusquely, shoving a sheaf of parchments into Remus' hands. "We've been cleared to take you into holding for the time being."

Remus looked up from the parchment he had hardly started to read. "What?"

"You need to come with us to a secure, Ministry holding cell until such as time as your status has been reviewed and cleared." He pulled out his wand. "Now am I going to have to make you come along, or will you walk like the human you pretend to be?"

"Excuse me," said Lily rather loudly and with only the pretence of politeness, walking up to the man. "But what right do you have to take Remus?"

"It's all in those forms ma'am. Now if you'll excuse me, we have a schedule to keep. Come along animal seventeen J six."

Remus passed the sheaf of papers to Lily, who skimmed them vaguely before looking back up. "Remus, you don't have to go with them! You have rights!"

"It'll be fine Lily. I'm sure it'll be fine, just…as soon as you can, tomorrow if possible, tell Sirius what's happened, and I'm sure he'll set things right."

Lily watched as the robust man took Remus' arm and led him out the door, tipping his rather ugly hat to Lily, and closing the door behind them.

XXX

Once they were in the hallway, Remus saw that the man hadn't come alone. There were two other, mean-looking burly men waiting for him, and as soon as the man released Remus' arm, they each grasped hold of one hard. "Ouch, could you please not hold me so tightly? It's rather painful," Remus said politely. The robust, ugly-hatted man sneered.

"You think that's painful?" he drew his fist back and slammed it with enough force to knock the wind out of the lycanthrope into Remus' stomach. Remus doubled over in pain, his eyes watering with it, and would have fallen if the other two men hadn't been holding onto him. One of the burly men chuckled grimly. "You haven't seen shit yet then you filth. Bring him," he commanded to the men, and they led Remus down the hallway and out of sight.

Meanwhile, back inside and oblivious to what had just happened, Lily was poring over the parchments. They were in terribly small writing and all jumbled and confused in legalese, and she barely understood what she was reading. What she could make out though, was that Remus had apparently done something to warrant some sort of evaluation, and he would be held somewhere in the Ministry of Magic until his evaluation, and then, assuming he passed, would be let out.

She rubbed her eyes and glared at the piece of paper she held. If she knew anything about the Ministry, they wouldn't let Remus go, even if he did pass their little 'evaluation'. It was a whole bunch of Gestapo crap, and she was going to fight it. They had _no_ right to simple abduct a good person because he happened to be a werewolf.

She stood up and was about to put her shoes and a jacket on to go to Sirius and James' flat to tell them what had happened, when she caught sight of the signature on the bottom of the page. Sirius Black, in a large, looping scrawl. She frowned, and flipped the pages until she came to the next signature. Sirius Black, again, in the same handwriting. She frantically flipped through the entire sheaf and saw Sirius' signature a total of seven times in various spots, and one initial mark. Her heart sank to her toes and she sat, numb, back on the sofa.

Sirius had been behind this. He had signed the documents that made it legal for them to take Remus…

XXX

**Author's Note: **ooh! Cliffy!! Ahaa, I'm so mean. Anyhooters, tell me what you thought of the chapter (please!)…via reviewing! And I would love to hear any thoughts, ideas or opinions you might have. : D Cheers lovelies!


	4. Chapter 4

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for possible sexual content, violence and language. Reader discretion is advised. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **WAHH! And we're back with more fic-a-licious-ness for y'all. Here's the next bit, with minimal pomp and almost NO circumstance. 'So I let 'er lick the (w)rapper.' Cheers!

XXX

Remus swallowed nervously as his footsteps and those of his kidnappers (for that's what he labeled them in his mind) echoed dully across the dead silent Atrium at the Ministry of Magic. After they had Side-Along Apparated him here, without telling him they would do so and thus leaving him almost suffocating, the two men had tightened their hold, as though afraid he might bolt, and dragged him toward the lifts.

"Where are we going?" he demanded.

"Shut up," robust, ugly-hat replied, not bothering to look Remus in the eye.

"Then who are you? Where are you taking me, I have a right to know."

The fat official held up his hand and they stopped suddenly. He turned to face Remus. "What part of shut up didn't you understand the first time you filth?" he growled, putting his face in Remus' personal space.

They lycan drew back his own face from the man's. "I've done everything you've asked, come quietly, and I want to know who you are."

"What for?" fatty asked none too nicely.

"So I know who to blame when I get out of here you asshole."

The man threw back his head and laughed, long and hearty, and then sobered. "Oh, I don't think you're going to get out of this one whelp." He grabbed Remus' jaw between his thumb and fingers, and the burly pair held him tighter, chuckling. "You belong to me now, and you'll do as I tell you. Now shut the fuck up, or I'll shut you the fuck up, scum. Are we clear?"

"Yeah," Remus said, trying to tamp down his rage. He felt like lashing out at the stupid, ugly-hatted, fat prick, but with the burly idiots holding his arms, it was quite impossible.

"Fucking animals, don't know their place in the world," ugly hat muttered as he turned. Remus, who had been looking down at his shoes, suddenly lifted his head, and his amber eyes, normally beautiful and fiery in a reserved sort of way, looked as though they might just burst into actual flame with his rage.

"I am _not_ an animal," he growled in a rather contradictory sort of way.

The large official turned. "What was that?" he asked, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

"I. Am. Not. An. Animal." Remus repeated, enunciating every syllable through gritted teeth. The man actually took a half step backward at the ferocity of the lycanthrope's gaze, and then seemed to steel himself, not wanting to lose face in front of the hired muscle. He raised his fist and sent it with incredible force into Remus' jaw, and an ominous cracking sound followed, but from who was indistinguishable.

Remus felt pain spread like some sort of wild, uncontrollable forest fire spread across his face, but he glared up at the man even as he sagged in the other two's grasp. "I say you are an animal, and until you accept that fact, and start behaving, I'll treat you like one," fatty hissed at him, his breath making Remus want to gag.

Remus felt his pulse quickening and the wolf within was screaming for blood, murder, revenge… He tried to tamp down the feeling as he was hauled to his feet once more and he lifted his head. Already an ugly bruise was blossoming where he had been hit. Pinned as he was, there was nothing he could do, but the need to do something to get some sort of payback was overflowing. So with a gentle arc of his neck, he cleared his sinuses and spat right in the ugly-hatted man's equally ugly face.

The silence billowed horribly, and ugly hat wiped his hand across is face, clearing it of saliva and Merlin knew what else. "That's going to cost you," he said softly.

"Looking forward to it," Remus retorted.

The second punch to his stomach that evening had him doubling over in agony again, only this time, the pair holding him simply dropped him and he collapsed onto the floor. Before he had gained hi breath back, a heavy-booted foot smashed into his ribcage, and sent him rolling instinctively onto his stomach. Another foot connected with his side as the heavy boot now hit him in the head. He could hear laughter, and curled into the fetal position, his now throbbing head in his hands.

Blackness swelled up to meet him, and the last thing he felt before it consumed him, was one last harsh kick to his kidneys and spittle pelting down onto his cheek. Then the world, mercifully, went dark, and he thought no more.

XXX

Lily stood up. She had no idea how long she had been sitting for, nor indeed even what time it might be, but the news was wrapping up, so she assumed it must be rather late. She looked again at Sirius' signature on the parchments. Why would he do it? What could ever possess him to sign something that would send the man he claimed to live into some undoubtedly horrendous prison? Surely even he wasn't dumb enough to sign something without at least reading it first…

She wanted to cry or scream or do both, but could only sit and stare blankly at that stupid scrawling signature. She forced herself up form the couch. She needed answers, and she would be hell-damned if she didn't get them…from the only one who had them.

By the time Lily got to James and Sirius' flat, she had been whistled at twice, asked out for drinks by three rather undesirable drunks and been honked at by a cabby, who then stuck his head out of his cab and whistled at her. She ignored them all completely though, clutching the stack of parchments in her hand, her mind set on her goal.

She absently fingered the wand she had jammed into her jacket pocket on a whim, and was glad of it. She would torture the bastard for information if need be… She didn't bother with the dilapidated elevator they had used the first time she had visited; her anger wouldn't allow her to wait for it to come back from the sixth floor. Instead she went to the door marked stairs, and jogged furiously up them.

Lily stood outside the door for several long breaths, trying to compose herself. She didn't want to just go in there screaming like a banshee, but her hysteria was starting to take root and it took all the will of her strength not to just blow the door off its hinges. She knocked politely and waited for a response.

A messy-haired James opened the door in naught but his pyjama pants. "Evans!" he cried delightedly. "Couldn't get enough of me, eh?" He grinned cheekily, and Lily pried her eyes away from his rather well defined chest and torso. She had to focus!

"Is Black here?" she asked, not bothering to ask to be let in and simply marching into the living room. James cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Him and I need to have words."

Now James looked very confused. "Uh…let me just go get him…" he disappeared down the hallway shouting: "Sirius! Evans is here and says she has to have words with you!"

Sirius came out of somewhere dressed only in a decidedly pimp-looking robe and matching pyjama pants, followed by James, who never passed up an opportunity to see Lily mad or Sirius get shouted at.

Lily's mouth and hand acted of their own accord as she Accio'd their wands, holding them hostage. "I need answers," she said quite levelly. "And you, Sirius, are going to give them to me. Then you can have yours and James' wands back."

"Why are you taking my-" James began, outraged, but a single look from Lily shut him up.

"Why did you do it?' Lily asked, looking back at Sirius, who now looked confused.

"Do what?"

Lily threw the bundle of parchment at him and it hit him squarely in the chest before flopping lifelessly to the floor. "You bloody well know what! How could you do this to Remus?"

Sirius, who had been bending to pick up the eerily familiar parchments, now glanced quickly upward. "What? What about Remus, I haven't done anything to him!"

Lily snorted in cold derision. "You're as poor a liar as you are a human being," she spat out. "Read the parchment and see for yourself."

Sirius looked over the parchment, James reading over his shoulder, and felt a heavy, lead-like weight drop into his stomach. He could see is signature, plain as day, at the bottom. His memory flashed back to the official who had given them to him to sign the day before. "How did you get this?" he whispered, not willing to believe.

"How do you think? Some Ministry jackass gave them to me when they _took Remus away._ Yeah, because of _you_ Remus is in some stupid fucking holding cell until some lame-ass 'evaluation' where they deem if he's enough of a danger to society to warrant being locked up forever!!" Lily shouted, not caring what the neighbours might think. In actually fact, the next-door neighbour was a highly deaf old woman, and the apartment above was vacant.

"I didn't-" Sirius said, not wanting to believe it. The parchments seemed to burn his hands but he couldn't out them down. His chest constricted and he felt like he was Apparating, though he hadn't moved. His head throbbed and his vision went in and out of focus. This couldn't be happening…

"Don't lie to me!" Lily snarled, stepping forward. "Don't you _dare_ lie to me!" the air around her seemed to crackle with electricity.

James, who sensed Sirius' shock and pain at this news, stepped between the two. "Lily, I don't think Sirius would-"

"Then why is his signature on the fucking papers James? Tell me, because I'm dying to know." She stepped sideways to address Sirius once more. "Just tell me why you did it, and why you lied about loving him. Tell me that at least."

Sirius was too stunned to speak. His mouth moved, trying to form the words that streaked like comets across his conscious mind, but no sound came out. He could only look helplessly from his signature, the one he had penned so carelessly, to Lily's furious eyes.

The redhead felt her temper boil over, and pointed her wand at the nearest object, which happened to be the sofa. "_Incendio!_" she shouted, and the entire unfortunate thing burst into flame. The parchments fell from Sirius' slackened fingers and James' jaw nearly smacked upon his chest in shock.

"You…you just…" he stuttered, unable to believe that Lily Evans had just set his couch aflame. Sure, he knew she was fiery in her own right, but he never would have taken her for a pyromaniac… "The couch is on fire!" he shouted. "What the hell!! Why did you set my fucking couch on fire?"

The flames were perfectly contained as they licked higher into the air as they consumed the now black sofa. Lily tossed her head. "Oh please. It's not as thought two spoiled brats like yourselves can't afford another one. Besides, it was ugly to start with; I'm making it look better."

"Put it out!" James shouted, very near to hysteria himself now as Sirius just stared at the ever-increasing flames that devoured the place he had spent so many Saturday mornings with his cartoons and cereal.

"I'll put it out when your friend tells me why he signed those papers," Lily said, not seeming to care that she had just committed arson. James looked at Sirius, who just kept staring at the couch. "Until then, you can watch your beloved chesterfield burn in all its horrible ugly glory."

"He'll tell you!" James said. "I promise you Evans, he _will_ tell you, just please, put our poor sofa out of its misery now." Lily looked dubious, but waved her wand, and the flames died immediately, leaving the couch smoking slightly in its charred, ruinous state. "Okay Sirius," James said, sighing with relief that his flat _wouldn't_ be burned to a crisp and mixed grief over the loss of his second favourite piece of furniture (the first being his own bed). "Time to fess up."

Sirius continued to stare off into space for several long minutes, and Lily was on the verge of setting something else in the flat on fire (no use doing the couch again), when Sirius looked finally at James. For his part, James felt a deep sadness weighing down his heart, like a plastic bag filled with stones sinking irreversibly to the bottom of a lake. Sirius had the same look in his eyes that he'd had that fateful night in the summer after sixth year when he'd turned up, hollow and numb with his trunk at James' front door.

"We're waiting," said Lily rather rudely, and the spell seemed to be broken between the two best mates, as they both set their eyes on Lily now. James felt his protectiveness for Sirius, especially in times of emotional distress such as this flare up. "Now look here Evans, Obviously he's in no state to answer your questions, and if you ask me, he didn't do this on purpose."

"Well no one asked you, did they?" Lily replied. "Now either he'll answer me or I'll set _you_ on fire!" James came toward her, taking her upper arm firmly in his hand, and took her into the hallway. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded none too quietly.

"Shut it. Now you listen to me. If Sirius told Remus he was in love with him, then he _wasn't_ lying. Sirius doesn't lie about shit like that. And obviously he didn't sign those documents on purpose, so just leave off bothering him."

"What makes you such an expert?"

"The fact that at the age of sixteen, Sirius came to _my_ house after his parents disowned him and kicked him out of his house. He had no one, and he came to me, and my parents let him stay. And you know what? He had the exact same fucking look on his face when he did. So if you want to get your answers out of him, go right ahead and set me on fire, but only over m dead body will you badger him any more about it." James didn't raise his voice, but the fierce loyalty Lily saw shining in his gaze and the tone with which he spoke, a tone that brooked no arguments, left her speechless.

She felt like she was drowning in her helplessness, unable to do anything for Remus, and unable to question and vent her rage and sense of despair on the one person she had thought held answers for her. A great wave of emotion welled up in her, and the hot tears slid down her cheeks; tears she had been holding in since she had found out the truth.

James sighed and put his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest. Lily struggled, trying to push away, but he held her fast, and soon, her arms slid up his body, looping around his neck and she let her tears run their course, clinging to James who seemed a pillar of strength and a lifeline in her sea of sorrow. "It's going to be okay," said James softly, stroking her back gently. "I'll go with Sirius tomorrow and we'll get him out. It'll be okay."

Lily nodded against his chest, sniffling slightly. Her wracking sobs had passed, and soon, she realized just how close she was standing to James potter, her sworn arch-nemesis. She felt a blush heat her cheeks and stepped back slightly out of his embrace. Hastily she swiped the last tears from her eyes and the tracks their predecessors had made across her cheeks. She frowned lightly at the slight wet spot her tears had made on James' shirt. "Sorry," she murmured. "Your shirt…"

James looked at it and a smiled graced his lips. "If you gave me my wand, I could dry it and no one would be the wiser…"

She giggled. "Yeah. Sorry…" She held out the wands, and James plucked the slightly longer of the two from her grasp. "And…sorry about the couch."

"No worries," said James airily. "Besides, you were right. It was ugly to start with anyway."

XXX

Remus woke slowly, the black fog lifted and burning away from his consciousness, and became aware of three things simultaneously. He was lying on something hard and cold, the air around him stank of decay, stale air and urine, and his head was throbbing in time to his heartbeats.

He blinked and opened his eyes, seeing a slightly unfocused grey cement wall, connected to a similar floor with several ominous stains across it. He sat up, and the throbbing in his head doubled and trebled in intensity. He clutched the sides of his head in agony and felt the contents of his stomach churning horribly as his body clenched from the ferocious pounding between his temples. Suddenly he lurched up onto all fours as the throbbing in his head reached a frenzied crescendo and vomited the entirety of his dinner onto the cold, uncomfortable floor.

His stomach heaved and clenched even after it was empty, and it was a long while before the feeling of nausea subsided. When it had, he sat back, and looked about himself for the first time. The floor, as he had noted before, was covered in an array of many, some overlapping, stains, some of which looked hauntingly like blood. The back wall and the wall to his left were made of flat, unadorned concrete (unless one counted bloodstains as adornments) much like the floor, and to his right and in front of him there were thick metal bars. There was a gate in the front set of bars, but even from within, he could tell that it would be impossible to penetrate even if he had the keys. It was undoubtedly enchanted with a plethora of spells to keep him in.

Sighing, he backed as far away from the puddle of vomit as possible, and settled himself in the cleanest looking spot he could find. Just as he was closing his eyes, he noticed a movement from behind the bars to the right of his cell. He turned and peered into the darkness, a glinting pair of eyes looking back at him. He started and shrank back, fearing the worst.

In the half-light (as the entire complex seemed to be lit with only a single light bulb hanging naked and barren from its socket) he could vaguely make out a small shape, and then the creature or whatever it was moved into the slanting puddle of what little light there was, and he saw it was a thin, haunted-looking little boy. Remus' heart jumped into his throat. Could this boy, who looked to be no more than seven or eight years old, possibly be a werewolf too? "Hello?' he asked softly, and the boy flinched backward. "No," Remus said, putting up his hand in the universal signal of surrender. He edged closer and the boy looked at him warily, but held his ground. "Where…where are we?"

The boy shrugged and gave Remus a funny look. It was apparent he hadn't heard a kind word in so long he had completely forgotten what a decent respectable person sounded like. Remus felt sadness and anger fighting for dominance inside of him at it. "How long have you been here?" he asked, and the boy shrugged again. Perhaps he was a mute… "What's your name?" he probed kindly.

The boy's eyes widened slightly, and the barest hint of a smile, the tiniest quirking at the corners of his lips, appeared. "Patrick," he replied, in a thin, shaky voice that lent to the impression he didn't speak much.

Remus found himself grinning. "Nice to meet you Patrick. I'm Remus…are you a werewolf too?" The boy smiled shyly back now and nodded. "I see," Remus replied, feeling very much like he was having a one-sided conversation. "So do you know any ways to break out of here?"

Suddenly, the boy shrank back into the dark corner of his cell, face contorting in fear, and Remus put out his hands to try and stop him. "I was joking!" he called, but was met only by a deep, mirthless laugh. He turned, and his own face blanched.

The same ugly-hatted man, only now without his stupid ugly hat, stood by the barred gate of Remus' cell. "So, you've woken up, have you?" he asked, grinning cruelly. Remus felt rage boiling in the pit of his stomach, and a growl escaped his lips. The man's mercifully hat-free, bald, head shone dimly as he leaned down and leered at the lycan. "Play nice, or I'll give you something you don't want in a place you don't want it." The man cackled sycophantically.

"You're a piece of shit," Remus said, standing on slightly shaking knees gripping the bars of his prison. The man merely grinned.

"Really. Well maybe a few days without anything to gnaw at besides your own cursed bones will teach you to give me the respect I deserve." He tossed the scrap of stale bread into the neighbouring little boy's cell and a hand reached out for it deftly and silently. Remus didn't care. The boy probably needed it more than he did at the moment anyway.

His knuckles tightened around the bar as the man spit at Remus' feet, but before he could even open his mouth, a club flashed down from the man's meaty hand, striking painfully hard across his knuckles, and he let go, swaying. The pounding in his head was back from his rage and anger and weakened condition. With a final laugh, ugly hat strode away, back down the corridor.

Remus succumbed to the urge to sink down again against the cool concrete, and looked to his right again, and Patrick's eyes loomed out of the darkness at him once more. "You shouldn't make them angry," the boy said softly, and Remus was surprised to hear him speak so much in one go. "It'll only be trouble for you."

Remus sighed. "Thanks for the advice."

XXX

"I'm sorry." The words were bracing, and rather difficult to say, as the mouth that spoke them said them rarely. In fact, Lily Evans wasn't really known for being sorry for a lot of things. But she could see now just how badly her news had hit Sirius Black. He had still been standing in the same spot, staring at the blackened remnants of couch, the legal parchments in disarray at his feet, when she and James had come back into the apartment, and her heart ached for him as well as Remus.

They had led him to sit, after repairing the couch to something much nicer, and Lily had offered to make them some tea. James was now looking at his best mate anxiously. He had never seen Sirius this deeply shocked before.

"Sirius?" he asked softly, and the man turned his haunted eyes to James. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, fearing the worst. Sirius didn't have to reply for James to know the answer. "Mate, I promise you, things are going to be okay. We'll go as soon as it's morning to the Ministry, and you can get this all sorted, and Lily and I will go with you.

Sirius looked at the redhead who pressed a warm mug of tea into his hands and bade him to drink. He did so mechanically, not registering the flavour or the heat. His mind was emptied of all but one thought. Remus was locked away somewhere because of _him_. All the haunting things he thought he'd left behind at his parents' house, all the things they stood for that he'd rejected had suddenly caught up to him. He'd thought he was better than them, a better person, but now he was the worst of the lot.

He hated himself, pure and simple. He wanted to die. And when that thought had finally cemented itself in his mind, he felt his dread and guilt harden to iron resolve in the bottom of his heart. He put his mug of tea down and stood. "I have to see him. I have to go…" He actually started for the door before James pulled him back down.

"Sirius, do you know what time it is? You can't just go waltzing into the Ministry and demand to see him. Wait until tomorrow morning, okay? We'll go with you."

"No." Sirius shook his head, and looked at James firmly. Lily bit her lip and her gaze swiveled between the two. She really rather wanted to see Remus, but didn't want to upset Sirius further (she still felt horrendously guilty for his shock as it was).

"Sirius-" James tried, glancing across at Lily.

"No! I have to tell him what I fucking did and I don't want anyone else around, okay?" Lily smiled at Sirius and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Alright Black. You go, and James and I will wait until after you tell him." Sirius smiled gratefully at the redhead, and she rose, stretching and yawning. "Well, it's late and it's been a long day. I'm going to go home and try to sleep for a bit. I'll be back in the morning."

James stood. "You can't just walk home at this hour."

Lily cocked an eyebrow. "Why ever not?"

"Because not even _I_ will walk home alone at this time, and Sirius is in no state to walk you, and I'm just too damn lazy," James replied, stifling a well-placed yawn. "Just stay here tonight."

Lily's other brow went up now. "What?" she asked. "With you? I _don't_ think so."

"Not like that Evans, you pervert. I meant just stay here, at our flat. Look, you can even take my bed if you like, and I'll sleep on this woefully-not-my-couch couch. Okay?"

Lily gaped slightly at James' gallantry. Where was the stupid jerk that used to throw balls of parchment at the back of her head and all her Evans and lord about with his stupid friends? And even better, who was this kind, thoughtful, funny (not to mention exceedingly attractive) man pretending to be him? Lily felt herself blush as the word handsome applied to James Potter streak across her mind. "Uhm, y-yeah...that sounds…er, good," she stammered, and smiled nervously, forgetting already what she was agreeing to. God, since when had she gotten all flustered?

Sirius stood up again, not really paying attention to the stuttering Evans or the now very pleased James. "I'm going to bed," he said in a flat little voice, and strode of purposefully to his bedroom, leaving the two alone.

Lily coughed nervously into her hand. "Er…" said James, feeling rather awkward. "Let me just…show you where you'll be sleeping… Umm…just holler if you need anything." Lily nodded wordlessly as she stood at the doorway to James Potter's immaculately tidy room. Where she would be sleeping. In his bed.

She closed the door behind her and realized as she was hesitantly folding down the bed, she had no pyjamas. Biting her lip, she looked back, and there was a soft knock on the door. She opened it and saw James grinning sheepishly at her. "Forgot my pyjamas." Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"I was just wondering if you would mind terribly if I borrowed some of yours?" He shook his head as he pulled some pyjamas from his drawer, and passed them to her before grabbing some for himself. "Thanks."

"No problem. Sleep well Lily." She smiled softly back at him.

"You too."

XXX

Remus opened his eyes blearily and the hated moon, now nearing it's ripeness, glared angrily back at him like a partially lidded eye. There was an incessant banging of metal on metal, and he struggled from the clutches of sleep to waking. "Wha-what's going on?" he murmured.

"Get up."

Remus stood and his head throbbed and he felt suddenly dizzy. He gripped the bars of his cell as he swayed, and then righted himself. "Where are-"

"Shut the fuck up, and step away from the fucking door." The man didn't sound like ugly hat, but Remus could still feel the fog of sleep clouding his mind. He stepped away, and the sounds of metal grinding against metal as the lock turned, seemed loud in the deathly silence. "Come."

Remus stumbled out blindly in the dark, straining to catch a look at the man's face, but with the light of the moon, it was impossible to make anything out other than the long bridge of his nose. "Where are you taking me?" Remus asked as cuffs were placed around his wrists and he was prodded into forward motion. He didn't dare look over his shoulder.

"Turn here," the man said, ignoring the question. Remus turned and preceded the man down the hallway, feeling a wand point pushing slightly at his spine if he slowed or made to turn again. "Through the second door on the left," mystery guy instructed, and Remus obeyed, opening the door.

It was lit by a single light bulb hanging naked in the center of the room, a feeble bit of yarn acting as the pull-switch, and there was a large, heavy-set, ominous looking chair directly beneath it. Beside the table was a small table with a smattering of unidentifiable objects on it that gleamed in the bright, unadulterated light. He moved into the room, and the man closed the door behind them. "Sit." Remus sat.

He looked at the small table and felt his stomach clench uncomfortably at the sight of various sized needles on the table. "What the hell is happening?" Remus demanded of the mysterious man, who stood just outside the puddle of light. Remus caught a wand waving in front of a black-robed chest and felt ropes spring from nothingness to bind him to the chair. He struggled fruitlessly.

Suddenly ugly hat stepped into the light and Remus glared, baring his teeth in a snarl of purest rage. "Congratulations animal seventeen J six. You've been chosen to participate in a new study for a lycanthropy cure."

"What?" Remus asked, feeling fear creep up his spine.

The mystery man stepped into the light, his long pallid face unsmiling as he prepared one of the syringes. A long curtain of unkempt hair framed his face, and he was clothed entirely in black that matched the inky depths of his gaze.

The man then tied a tourniquet securely around his arm and his veins popped up obligingly despite Remus' best efforts. He felt suddenly stifling, and sweat trickled teasingly down the back of his neck. He was in silent horror as the needle tip pierced his vein and the colourless solution was emptied into his veins.

His heart beat loudly in his ears and he felt sweat break out on his upper lip. He blinked and the world seemed to distort and melt away. His head fell forward onto his chest and he stumbled once more into blissful, black oblivion.

The ugly-hatted man grinned. "Hopefully this one won't die, eh?" The man in black smiled thinly and without mirth or malice. "Well if we're all done here, I'll have someone bring the animal back to it's holding cell, and we'll wait and see what happens." The man nodded. "Not really one for conversation, eh Snape?" ugly hat asked as they exited the room.

Severus Snape didn't smile this time, but replied in a silken soft voice, "No."

XXX

**Author's Note: **hmm…the angst. So sad. But I tried to throw a bit of fluffiness in there for you all, even if it was hetero. But please review and tell me what you thought and I will TRY to get some smut going of the slash-y good variety. XD Cheers!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for possible sexual content, violence and language. Reader discretion is advised. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **aha! So we're back with more chapter for this crazy thing that I don't know the direction it's going of…if that made ANY sort of sense! Erm…yeah. On a completely unrelated note: I AM IN LOVE WITH WALL-E. Greatness! Go see it, all of you!! That's enough of that, onward with the chapter. Cheers!

PS. – Happy belated Canada Day to my fellow Canucks and Happy belated Fourth of July to my American readers.

XXX

Lily rolled over, checking her sturdy Muggle watch for the fourth time in the last twelve minutes. She sighed (as she had done three times previous) and flopped back onto James Potter's pillows. It was early, that much she knew (her handy-jim-dandy watch had told her so), but she couldn't take much more of this lying in bed and not getting up business. She was a woman of action! Or at least active television perusing, but with her current bed-owner's status of occupying the couch, she could hardly just stroll in there and flick on the telly.

Her stomach rumbled absently, and Lily rolled onto her side. She sighed once more and closed her eyes, breathing deep the scent of the bedding around her. It smelled vaguely of cigarettes and stockpiled dead skin cells, but mostly like James himself; strong, proud, brilliant, and with delectable taste in cologne. It was a heady mixture to be sure, and despite the want for food and to be up and about, Lily found herself reluctant to leave the comforting warmth of James' bed. She was probably one of many who'd felt the same way.

Then as this thought fully registered in her sleep-fogged brain, she sat up and tossed off the tempting warmth of James' comforter. Like hell was she going to stay in this bed where Potter had done Merlin-knew-what, with Merlin-knew whom, and Merlin-knew-when. Besides, she needed coffee to decide what the best possible ways to helping clear Remus might be. Which was priority number one right now.

She eased open the bedroom door; aware she was only in her bra, panties and James' pyjama pants. She had been tempted to keep her t-shirt on, but the room had apparently had other plans, and the heat had been unbearable the night before. She padded, yawning, down the hall and detoured for a bathroom break before shuffling into the violently orange kitchenette and beginning her mission to find coffee.

Just as she had located a slightly dusty-topped jar of instant java, there was an insistent knocking at the front door. Lily frowned, thinking who could _possibly_ be calling on Black and Potter so early, abandoned her mission only temporarily, and headed out to the living room and front door.

Lily spotted James lying, mouth open and snoring softly, jammed uncomfortably onto the sofa, his long legs tucked up close to his chest and a blanket thrown haphazardly over himself, on her way. Smiling softly at the innocent expression on his surprisingly attractive glasses-free face, the knock sounded again, and Lily was reminded what she had come out here for before going off into Potter La-La Land.

She stifled another yawn as she unlocked the door and opened it. "Hello?" she asked tiredly.

The woman who stood at the door, a hate-ably-gorgeous blonde with pretty green eyes, slightly more blue-tinged than Lily's own, a tiny waist, and impressive breasts. If Lily batted for the other team she would undoubtedly have found the young woman drool-worthy. Even now, she was half-considering it… "Er…" she said, blushing suddenly, realizing the girl must have been staring open-mouthed because of her nearly indecent lack of clothing. "Can I help you?"

"I'm…I'm here to see James… Could you tell him its Kelly?" the girl asked coolly, and Lily cocked a brow. So Potter was the type to bring his slags home with him was he…? Well she supposed it was better than a motel romp or something…

"Yeah sure thing. Just a sec." She closed the door rather unceremoniously in Kelly's face, and then turned back to James, who was still sleeping adorably on the too-small couch. She sighed and strode toward him. "Potter. …Potter? Potter!" She jabbed his in the side and he only mumbled incoherently and attempted to roll over. "James," she whispered into his ear, trying for a new tactic. "There's someone at the door for you…" she purred.

James smiled absently and his hazel eyes flickered open. "Evans. What a sight to wake up to…what were you saying?" James' arms rose over his head as he made to stretch out fully, and promptly tumbled in a tangle of blanket to the floor.

"Door," Lily replied, giggling despite herself. She realized again she was wearing no shirt as James hungrily eyed her exposed midriff and luscious cleavage. "And do you have any sort of coffee in this place?"

James managed to tactfully pry his eyes away as Lily made to cover herself with her arms. "Yeah, check the cupboard beside the fridge." The messier-haired-than-was-strictly-normal James yawned hugely and made for the door, opening it. "Kelly!" he called in surprise as he spotted the sexy blonde, arms folded, glaring on the other side of the door. "What brings you here so early, luv?" he asked.

"Or better yet, what the hell are _you_ doing here so early with some redheaded tart!?" Kelly demanded. "Been having a lie-in?"

James laughed at the implication he and Lily had and/or were currently sleeping together. He would never have minded (of course), but the fact remained that it was as likely as Sirius declaring his undying love for toast. (Which, if James' memory had served better, he would have realized Sirius had done several times already, the first of which being fourth year at Hogwarts). Apparently, his laughing hadn't been the best idea, as Kelly was now openly glaring at him, her hands balled into fists and her eyes shining.

"So you're not going to deny it!" she shouted.

"No, Lily and I have never – she doesn't even like – you've got the wrong –" James tried, but seemed unable to say exactly what, as he was now retreating into his flat as Kelly approached, looking murderous. It was his experience that such a look from a woman usually meant one of two things: hexing, or physical abuse.

"How dare you! You sick, lying… …bastard!" Kelly made an angry noise like a cat slipping into a filled tub, and whirled about, leaving a helpless James and a slightly amused Lily standing in the flat, the door still hanging open uselessly.

"Potter, you only have instant coffee," Lily said finally, breaking the terrible ensuing silence, and James seemed to snap out of himself.

"Yeah well, I usually don't drink it, and Sirius buys his when he goes out." Lily rolled her eyes.

"So do I want to ask what that was about?' asked Lily over her shoulder as she put the kettle on and prepared her crappy, instant coffee grounds. James had followed her back into the kitchen and now sat down heavily in one of the chairs that Remus had sat in himself mere days ago.

"That was Kelly, a bird I was seeing. Apparently she's also a nutter. She thought we were sleeping together…and I tried to tell her we weren't, but…well she got a bit riled." Lily smirked even though she felt somewhat bad for unintentionally causing James and his girl to break up.

"So I heard," Lily said as the kettle whistled and she poured the boiling water over the coffee grounds and sugar. "I'm sorry you two split because of me."

"Don't worry about it," James replied yawning again and finally rubbing the sleep from his eyes tiredly. "She had a bloke anyway. Said she just wanted something on the side… We weren't dating or anything."

Lily rolled her eyes as she sat down across from him. "Figures," she muttered into her coffee, sighing as the warm beverage slid down her throat.

"So anyway," said James brightly, how'd you sleep?"

"Lovely. Minus the fact I was hot all night." James, who had gotten up and was currently drinking milk straight from the carton, suddenly choked and lowered the milk, coughing obscenely as milk flooded his lungs.

"Wh-what?"

"Eww – pervert! I meant it was hot. In your stupid room. The temperature was too high for my comfort." Lily felt herself blushing despite her indignation, and James nodded, not daring to look at her.

James replaced the milk to Lily's slight horror, and waffled about, trying to make something that didn't involve cooking to eat.

"So where d'you reckon Black is? I would have thought What's-Her-Face's shouting would've woken him by now," Lily said when the threat of blush had dissipated.

James snorted as he stuffed some toast with jam into his mouth. "Yeah…unlikely. Sirius could sleep through a train wreck even if he was on the bloody train. I suspect he's just stayed up the entire night, unable to get to bed, and passed out a few hours ago. Best to just let him sleep."

Lily nodded and sipped some more of her coffee. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It may have been several years since she'd gone to school with him, but Lily still didn't really trust James, remembering his elitist attitude and aptitude toward bullying. She finished her coffee before she knew it, just as James finished off the last bite of toast.

"Care to watch some cartoo-er…television until Sirius gets up? Unless, of course, you have things you need to do elsewhere." Being a medical student, Lily knew at heart she should probably be starting on the paper her Professor had set for hand-in next month, but James was smiling at her charmingly and she felt herself giving in despite not speaking the words aloud yet.

"No, I don't have anywhere to go… I'd love to watch the telly with you." James wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not, but as she was moving toward his living room, he didn't complain, and merely followed.

The two settled themselves comfortably, and James found his eyes, whenever a commercial came on, flicking more insistently back to Lily. She could feel his gaze as it raked appreciatively over her, and she felt her cheeks heating again and tried to ignore the feeling. He was a stupid hormonal male who thought only about sex. He _wasn't_ interested. And even if he were, like she'd even think about going for him. Right? Right…? Her subconscious refused comment.

Just as the most annoying commercial for cereal _ever_ came on, she let her gaze slide back to James', and saw that he was blushing just as hard as she was (_served him right too, for being a pervert_, she thought savagely) as their gazes locked. "Evans?" he asked, voice deep and attractive and caressing just the right parts of Lily's hearing to make her melt slightly into the couch.

"Potter," she replied, sounding breathier than she would have liked. Her heart was suddenly throbbing mightily in her chest, and she felt her mouth go dry. She tried to lick her dry lips and swallow, but it was impossible, as she felt like she was sinking irreversibly into a pit of quasi-melted marshmallows. They leaned closer, and Lily barely registered conscious thought leaving her mind, as her lips pressed firmly and perfectly against James'.

Then it hit her. She was sitting on James Potter's couch, kissing him, not wearing a proper shirt. And the next thing she realized, James was kissing her and she was kissing back, tongues tentative around lips as mouths opened, and another thought hit Lily's debilitated consciousness. How in the hell had a polite offer to watch television turn into a snog session? And more importantly, why wasn't she stopping it?

XXX

Remus' tongue felt thick in his mouth. It seemed inconsequential, at least in the scheme of the events of the last few days, but there it was. His tongue felt way too big for his mouth and that was all he could seem to handle thinking about as he lay on his back on the stone floor of his holding cell. He wondered absently, in a detached sort of way, as though he were reading a story or something about a character that magically had the same thoughts as him, if he'd been drugged.

Then the horrible memories of a needle spearing ruthlessly into his arm surfaced and confirmed his belief. He had been drugged in some sort of horrible experimental testing… He felt sick to his stomach at the mere thought.

He looked up and saw Patrick's glinting eyes staring unflinchingly at him form the cell next door. He smiled weakly. "Hello."

"They hurted you."

Remus sat up and tried to suppress the wince of pain as his head throbbed and his vision swam slightly. "I'll be fine," he said gruffly. His stomach rumbled angrily, having not been fed in seeming ages, and he rubbed it consolingly.

"Here." A thin hand, appeared in the vague puddle of light from Patrick's own cell into Remus' and a slightly eaten crust of bread was held out in his tiny, boney fingers. "Take it."

Remus was about to decline, knowing that the poor, feeble-voiced boy probably needed it more than he did, but his stomach rumbled angrily again, and he didn't know when he might get any food again. He accepted it silently, discovering it was only slightly less hard than the stained cement floor. "Thank you, very much."

Patrick moved into the light, and Remus saw the boy fully for the first time since he'd come to this hellhole. His heart ached and he felt nausea rising in the back of his throat. It looked as though the boy had been mauled by some kind of rabid dog. He had long arcing scars across his visage and Remus could only imagine what the thin torso underneath his overlarge, stained t-shirt would look like. His cheeks were hollow from his obvious lack of nourishment and there were great hollowed circles around his startlingly blue eyes.

His hair was long, unkempt and dirty, as were his fingernails. He looked as though he'd been here for so long he had forgotten what normal life and normal people were like. Rage and pity fought for dominance within him as he saw the boy's ghost of a smile at the kind words. Pity that such a precious soul had been locked away and forgotten for so long, and rage that no one cared enough to question the Ministry of Magic for this sort of atrocity.

"What…er…how did you come here? What about your parents?" Remus asked softly, ripping off a piece of hard bread and forcing himself to chew it. He needed food. Patrick looked at him wistfully.

"I just woke up here on day. Then the man…he…" Giant tears pooled in Patrick's eyes, but the boy gulped them back, even as Remus' heart broke for this poor boy. "He told me," he continued in an even softer voice that Remus had to strain to hear, "that my parents had brought me here because they couldn't stand having a werewolf as a son. I've never heard from them and I…I don't even know if I remember them anymore." There was a silence in which Remus swallowed some bread. "What about you? Where are your parents?"

Remus could see his mother's careworn eyes in his mind's eye, the lined but still kindly face. "My parents are dead," he said blankly. "I came here when a…a man came to my friend's apartment and told me I had to come for the time being. I'm supposed to have some sort of evaluation." Patrick looked almost amused now, or as amused as a person could look in such a place.

"You won't get an evaluation."

"Why not?" Remus asked, feeling the little ray of hope he had clung to since he came here beginning to falter.

"They tell that to everyone, but no one ever has one. We're really just here to-" But before he could finish, there was the sound of a door somewhere down the narrow corridor outside their cells opening, and Patrick shrank back into the shadows.

Remus put down the half-eaten crust of bread, his appetite no longer existent as footsteps hurried toward their end of the ward. "Remus? Are you down here?" asked a familiar voice, and Remus felt his stomach clenching. Remus tried to stand, blinking back the black dots that wavered in his vision momentarily. No…this was impossible. But wait, he worked here, right? Maybe he was coming to let Remus out.

His gaze wandered back to Patrick's holding cell of its own accord, where the bright, haunting blue eyes gleamed dully. A terrible notion occurred to him then. The boy was going to die in here. Remus clenched the metal of the bars hard, the cold of them clearing his mind a little. He knew what he had to do, and as Sirius Black stepped into the puddle of light from the naked light bulb, a plan formed in his mind. He was going to bring those Ministry pricks down if it fucking killed him.

XXX

Lily's eyes, which she hadn't recalled closing, snapped open suddenly, as the warm mouth that had been invading her own suddenly pulled back. James was blushing hard and looked sheepish. "I'm sorry Lily, I never… I mean that was fantastic, but I know you don't feel the same about… Unless… No. Do you?" She tried to hold in a giggle but it was hard.

"I don't know, Potter," she murmured as her giggles subsided. "I mean…I'm attracted to you. A lot. I just…there's a lot of really…awkward history. Y'know?"

James nodded. "Look, I'm sorry for kissing you. But…well, in my defence, you came at _me_." Lily rolled her eyes, and they settled back into the couch to watch some television. "So…was it good for you too?" James asked after several long minutes of silence.

She couldn't help but grin. "Yeah. I must say, the rumours about you from Hogwarts were surprisingly not all talk." James looked over at her and leered.

"You have no idea yet, Evans… I could show you the whole truth behind those rumours if you'd like…"

Lily Evans felt the corner of her lips quirk upward, her grin turning wry. Suddenly, she levered herself up from the couch and was sitting astride a very shocked James Potter's lap. "Can you really now?" she purred and slid her hands up his torso. James could only gape at her, and Lily laughed. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Potter… Show me if you can live up to the legend."

"But…what if…what if Sirius comes-? Are…wait…" James stuttered, barely registering her was speaking. Lily was pouting temptingly at him from her perch on his lap, and her green eyes had turned dark with lust. He really hoped she wasn't just kidding about, 'cause if she was, it was a _really_ cruel trick. Then suddenly, something clicked in his brain, and his hands rose, gripping Lily's hips as his mouth met hers.

The kiss was hot and passionate and Lily felt dizzy from it. She had, in all honesty, just been intending to give James a little teaser, but now that she felt him grinding her downward against the length of his manhood, while his tongue worked insistently against her lips, she felt her own excitement rising. Her tongue speared forward into his mouth, and the lovely mounds of her breasts pushed forward, rubbing against the soft satin of her bra, making her nipples ache.

James gripped her arse with one hand, the other moving to tangle in her mass of fiery hair as her arms went around his neck. Their mouths tasted greedily and hungrily, and they were both panting hard through their noses. His mouth slid to suck at the sensitive skin that covered the column of her throat and a moan was pulled from her panting mouth. "Yes, James…" she breathed, and James felt his cock twitch beneath her. She was rolling and gyrating her hips against him in a blissfully hard and erotic rhythm and he was thrusting forward, trying to get some sort of friction on his hot hard cock.

Unbidden, an image of a faceless man, naked and groaning beneath her erupted inside Lily's mind, breaking free from its self-imposed prison. She flinched slightly, then looked at James and caught his mouth with hers again. This was James she was kissing. James. Not some random man to try and bury her loss in. That was long time ago, from a different part of her life.

The messy haired man reached up, in heaven, and weighed Lily's breasts in both of his hands, groaning as she ground into him more forcefully. He caressed her through the supple fabric until it was too much to bear. The front clasp popped open with the slightest flick of a finger, and James groaned at the sight of Lily's lovely, high breasts, all round and firm and perky, and perfect for his mouth or hands or…well they were just perfect.

His head dipped to taste her rosy areolas, gently tugging on her nipple with his teeth. Lily cried out softly, and arched into the feeling, her hands ravaging the messy tufts of James' hair. "Oh Merlin…Lily…" James gasped as she tugged on his hair again and thrust her nipple more fully into his hungry mouth.

"James," she murmured, her eyes falling shut again, and a dark, blurry memory flashing in her mind's eye.

"Say my name again baby," he managed to ground out, sucking even harder and more roughly at her tender, sensitive nubs. Lily's eyes snapped open, but she wasn't seeing James anymore. She felt panic rise in her as she tried to see through the thick fog of memory and remember James' name.

She could feel, almost in a detached kind of way, the gentle thrust of his pelvis against her own, the ridge of his manhood riding intimately between her thighs through their pyjamas, and the exquisite stabbing pleasure he wrought upon her breasts. Tugging, licking, sucking, biting… But still the panic rose in her, despite the arousal that burned away deep inside.

Suddenly, the hands that had clenched at him, pulled him closer, longing for, _needing_ his touch, shoved James away. Blind hysteria took over, as Lily felt the rough, unshaven cheek from her memory over her soft skin, the teeth pulling insistently at her nipples and before either of them realized just what the hell was happening, she was screaming and shouting and trying to push him away. She didn't want this. No…NO! Get away!! But still his hands held her down, and she felt tears sting her eyes and trickle helpless as she felt, down her cheeks.

"Lily? Lily!" James shouted, not really sure what was happening. One second Lily had been moaning and arching into him and the next she was beating the shit out of him, trying to get away. To say he was confused was like saying the thing that sunk the Titanic was an ice cube.

Lily felt herself snap back into reality. She felt the warmth of James' throbbing erection beneath her, and felt his equally warm hands gripping the tops of her arms. He was talking to her, calling her name, and she turned wide, apologetic green eyes to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry…"

"What the hell happened?" he asked, more softly now that he was cure she wouldn't kick him in the balls on purpose or accidentally. "You were…and then…" Lily buried her face in her hands, and James hesitantly put his arms around her. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to…it's my fault…"

She shook her head firmly. "No. No, it's not. James, I want you… I want you more than I've wanted anyone in a long time, but… I have history. History I've never told anyone about…and…I'm scared that…"

"That I won't still want you if I hear it?" James murmured shrewdly, attempting to pull her hands away form her face. Lily nodded miserably and James pressed a relatively chaste kiss to her forehead. "Let me tell you something Lily. I've had a crush on you since third year, when you told me that you'd rather go to Hogsmeade on Valentine's with the giant squid than me."

Lily groaned in horrifying remembrance and buried her head in James' shoulder. "I never meant-"

"Oh I know you meant it. And I deserved it, not that I even realized it for a good four years. I want you, any way you are, because I've seen you at your worst and most bitchy."

Lily shook her head sadly now. "You haven't seen me at my worst," she mumbled. She tried to fortify herself with a deep shuddering sigh, and felt marginally better. She had to get this off her chest. It was time. And since there was no polite way to say it (or even any sort of social decorum to follow now Lily thought on it), she was just going to have to do it. "Three years ago, I gave up magic…and I've never told anyone why." She looked up at him and James felt an unfamiliar emotion tug at his heart, weighing it down as tears glinted in Lily's eyes. "I want to tell you. I…I'm ready and…well seeing as you're here and all… Do you want to hear it?" James' brief grin faded and he pondered it a moment. He could feel the weight his decision carried, but he didn't really even need to think about the answer. Ever since Valentine's Day in third year when she told him she'd rather go out with the giant squid than him, he knew he would have given anything to hear anything Lily Evans ever wanted to tell him.

He nodded gently. "Yes."

XXX

"Sirius," he breathed, the sight of his former riding pupil, turned lover, pushing everything to the back burner of his mind at least for the few moments he drank in the sight of him.

"Remus," said the other, stepping quickly across the gap between them. And then, as though their sudden proximity brought all their passions rearing alive, they were clinging to one another thought the awkward metal bars. Their mouths met in a passionate hungry melding and Remus found himself, so close to the full, thrusting his tongue greedily into Sirius' mouth, and suckling at his bottom lip.

Sirius groaned into the kiss, the stack of parchments he had paper clipped together to show Remus dropping from his grip, forgotten, as the lycan slid a hand through his hair and tugged his yet closer by the belt. He gripped Remus' sides as they slid erotically against one another, both feeling their arousal stirring and grinding more deliberately together.

"Fuck," Sirius murmured as Remus broke the searing lip lock to suck teasingly on his lower lip. Remus smirked and pulled back, taking Sirius' lip with him before he let the sensitive skin slid deliciously from his teeth and kissing Sirius once more.

The lycanthrope reached around and gripped his lover's arse firmly, squeezing longingly, wishing that the damn bars weren't in the way. "Mmm…Remus…wait," Sirius panted between kisses, and Remus held back slightly to give him a chance to speak. They both were breathing hard, panting into one another's mouths from the intensity of their reunion.

"Remus, I…" Sirius pulled away, hating himself and knowing that when Remus found out what he had done, that there would be little chance of snogging or erotic rubbing. "I have to tell you something. Something important."

Remus felt his stomach clench. Every time he had heard those words, something bad had come right after them. His heartbeat, which had been thudding in pure relief and joy, now thudded in anxiety. What was Sirius going to tell him? That he couldn't get him out?? "Okay," he said weakly, clenching the smooth, unforgiving steel of the bars on his prison once more.

"You know that I love you, right? That I would never do anything if it were to hurt you in any way?" Remus nodded mechanically. Those were almost the exact same words his mother had used when she told him she was dying… The same words she had used when she'd told him why he was in the magic hospital… He couldn't breathe; he was choking, suffocating to death on his own fear. He forced himself to stand on shaking legs and tried feebly to draw air into his lungs.

"Remus?" The lycan looked at Sirius, and Sirius felt as though his heart might just break all over again. Except this time, he would be the one at fault… His hands shook as he bent to retrieve the fallen documents and watched Remus' gaze flick to them confusedly for a moment. "Remus, I'm so sorry…" His voice broke and a lump rose in his throat preventing further speech. Wordlessly he pressed the parchments into Remus' hands.

Remus looked concernedly at his lover for a moment, wanting to reach out and console him, but when he tried, Sirius flinched away from the contact. He didn't look him in the eyes. He didn't even appear to want to be here… Remus felt his heart twist with agony. He may not love him, but he certainly cared for Sirius, and this…this was just…

"Just read the parchments," Sirius croaked, and Remus' gaze finally fell to the papers. He had seen these before… The night he'd been taken…but how? His gaze continued down the page, barely taking in any of the legal mumbo jumbo until they stopped at the bottom, and the large, looping signature at the bottom.

"Sirius Black…" he breathed, unable to believe his eyes. His fingers brushed over the paper, feeling the slight raise of the ink and miniscule rut where the quill had dug into the parchment. His head whirled. He stomach clenched. Hate rose up inside him. "You…" he looked at Sirius, and for once, he felt no need whatsoever to remain polite or courteous. He doubted he would even remember his manners that had been drilled into him at this point. "You did this."

Sirius stared at his shoes. "Remus, I'm-"

"Go. Just go…I can't, I can't even…" He shook his head bitterly. "Just go," he whispered.

Sirius looked up as Remus sank to the cold, stained floor; his heart being wrenched from his chest. And then, for once, he didn't argue or try to prove his point. He shut his mouth, blinked back the tears, and followed polite etiquette. He just went.

XXX

**Author's Note: **AHH!! So much cliffhanger-ish-ness! But I know you all love it and hey, if it keeps you coming back for more then I'm ALL for it. I even tried a bit of smut this chapter! Hope you liked it. 'Wish I could shut my playboy mouth.' Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for possible sexual content, violence and language. Reader discretion is advised. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **I JUST got home after nearly two months (I had a few days here and there at home) on a quasi-vacation with NO Internet and NO fan fiction-ing. Yeah. Murderous. But I'm back and I promise never to do that to you all again and…YAY! Furthermore, I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING. I HAVE a plot line for this! It's on a tiny sheet of my notepad. XD Anyhooters, enough rambling, let's roll it. 'Billie Jean is not my lover, she's just a girl who thinks that I am the one…' Cheers!

PS. – Again, I'm SO sorry for the late-ness of this, it's totally only partly not my fault. I am posting this with my new, fancy shmancy flash drive XD

XXX

Lily looked up at James and bit her lower lip in a decidedly far-too-attractive way. She seemed unconcerned by the fact she was still sitting topless upon the lap of a man she once swore she hated more than her period, but given the circumstances…well, she was allowed certain liberties. James however, was having rather a difficult time of it. It was one thing to have a topless woman you've been dreaming of shagging the bejesus out of for years on your lap when she's ready and willing to let you fuck her into oblivion, but rather another to have the same topless woman on your lap looking vulnerable and appealing and have the heat between her legs resting against your cock and not be able to do anything but listen to her attentively. Well, he was in a veritable state of attention deficit disorder to say the least.

"You know," he said softly, trying to ignore the fact he was still hard as a rock, "For this to work, you might have to actually say words out loud." He smiled encouragingly and Lily offered up a watery bland smile.

"You remember the end of our last year at Hogwarts, how no one wanted to leave King's Cross?" James nodded. "And how you said you'd see me around sometime hopefully, before Black came and told you to stop making a fool of yourself because your parents were here?" James nodded again. "Then how you asked if I needed a lift anywhere?" Another nod. "And I said no?"

"Lily I-" James began, but the redhead pressed a finger to his lips, and he instantly fell silent once more.

"I said no because my parents were going to come pick me up." A lone tear dripped from Lily's downcast eyes and she wiped at it furiously, not wanting James to see her cry. "So I waited where I had told them the week before I would be. But they didn't come. At first I thought maybe they were just stuck in traffic or something, or maybe something had come up and they'd had to delay an hour or two. But they still didn't come. …I waited all goddamn day, but they never showed up. Eventually, the station was empty and silent, and still, no one was there but me, sitting and biting my nails and waiting."

James looked at this young woman on his lap and his arousal was pushed completely from his mind. He was trying to piece together what Lily's parents forgetting to pick her up had to do with her quitting magic, but sat patiently for her to continue.

"I was so mad. I wanted to scream at them, tell them that they were rude for forgetting and that I should have just Apparated home to save them the precious time it would have taken for them to get there. All I could think about was how mad I was and _why_ they hadn't come." Lily swallowed convulsively. "I don't know how long I was there…it must have been hours, because by the time I finally decided to leave, it was dark. I told myself I hated them for forgetting about me, but somehow I knew they wouldn't have just forgotten." Another pair of tears slid, scalding hot and salty, down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe them away this time.

"I Apparated home, trying not to jump to conclusions." Lily sniffed heavily now, and more tears raced down her porcelain skin, tugging at James' heartstrings. "And when I got there, the house was…" The redhead choked on her emotions, emotions she had thought she'd successfully buried, and James took her hand, pressing soothing little circles into it. She gave an attempt at a grateful smile and he smiled back.

"The house was dark and empty and quiet," she continued. "Like I've never seen it before. I didn't know where anyone could be and I was scared. I thought maybe…maybe for some reason…You-Know-Who… But then the phone rang." She sighed hugely. "It was my sister."

"You have a sister?" James asked suddenly, quite forgetting himself. "I…I mean…sorry."

Lily shook her head dismissively. "She…she told me she had been calling the house for hours. I tried to tell her that I was waiting for mum and dad at the station, but she wasn't even listening. I remember her words exactly…I don't think I'll ever forget them." Her eyes took on a glazed, far-away look and she seemed to be immersed in painful memories. "'It's all your fault. Mum and dad died Lily. They got in a car wreck on the way to pick you up from your stupid freak school. They're dead because of you.'" The careful mask she had been holding in place crumpled as the memory faded, and the next thing they knew, Lily was sobbing unabashedly into James' chest and he was pressing her close, wrapping his arms around her, trying to block out her pain and yet knowing he was unable to. He couldn't shelter her from her memories.

"Shh…shh, it's alright," he murmured, unable to think of words to fit the situation. She shook her head violently, clutching him desperately as though if she let go even slightly, she would be ripped from the warm protection of his embrace.

"It's my fault!" she cried, her voice slightly muffled by James' shoulder. "It's my stupid fault that they're dead! I told them to come pick me up so I could see them without stupid Petunia there, so I could just see them in peace. And they were rushing…because I made them come and get me, because I just _couldn't_ Apparate home. And while they were lying on the road dying and in the hospital, trying to stay alive, I was _mad_ at them. I hated them, and they were _dying_!"

James wanted to shake her. This wasn't the logical sensible Lily he knew. "Lily," he murmured softly, and she looked up at him, the red rims of her eyes only accentuating the brilliance of their green colour. "I want you to listen to me. What happened to your parents was _not your fault_. Do you understand me? You are _not_ responsible for their deaths. It was a freak accident, that's all."

"B-but they were rushing because-"

"Because they loved you; because they wanted to see you just as badly as you wanted to see them. Lily, you're a good person." Lily laughed rather bitterly, tear tracks still marring her face.

"You haven't heard the rest of it yet." Her voice was hard now, unforgiving, and the sadness that had filled her eyes at the mention of her parents, had dissipated into a blank nothingness that James found infinitely more disturbing than tears. He stroked up and down her back gently, willing her to go on but half afraid of what he might hear.

"After my parents died, my sister Petunia moved out, with her fiancé. I was never gladder to see her back than I was that day. In the two months she had stayed with me in the old house, she wouldn't even look at me, let alone talk to me. I could feel her hatred. She hated me, blamed me for every second for what happened and after awhile I started believing it too." Lily sighed and slumped a little, leaning into James for support, who welcomed the contact. "Once Petunia was gone, I just couldn't take living in the house anymore; too many memories. So I sold it, gave Petunia half the profits, and moved into a tiny one-roomed flat in a bad part of London.

"I didn't realize it of course, and I enrolled in Muggle university, and for awhile things were alright. But then the money started running out. My tuition was through the roof, and I wasn't working, trying to keep focused on my studies. So I took on a roommate; one of my friends from school. She was there on her dad's money, and partied almost all the time. We got along famously, but she proved to be the wrong kind of roommate… I got…caught up in her lifestyle. Started skipping class, partying all the time, binge drinking…"

Lily pulled back and looked down, unable to meet James' eyes anymore. "Then I started going harder. Looking for a bigger better buzz to escape from my now shitty reality. I did Merlin knows what. Whatever someone was doing at my flat, I tried it… There were times when I would wake up and it would be two days later and I wouldn't recall anything. I fucked anything that paid me a compliment or scored me a high. I couldn't stop."

James felt his stomach turn over. He felt mingled pity, sadness and (he hated himself for thinking it) a dollop of disgust at what Lily was telling him. "How…how did you…?"

"Stop?" James nodded, and cringed inwardly at the self-deprecating smile Lily doled out. "The same way anyone does. I hit rock bottom." Lily's arms had somehow wound up clenched tightly around herself, and James reached gently for her hand once more, pressing it and rubbing those soothing, never-ending circles into it again.

"Tell me," he requested softly.

"My boyfriend of the week brought a whole bunch of his friends over to do some lines." James didn't bother to ask what lines were. He didn't think he could handle knowing. "My roommate hadn't been home in days and so I offered to let a couple of the friends stay when it became clear that they were too pissed and high to go anywhere that night. My boyfriend," Lily spat the word as though it was nothing, "decided he wanted some. I told him…I told him I didn't want to. Not in front of his friends. He told me they wouldn't mind, that half of them were too high to notice anyway. I told him no again and he…he got angry."

Tears fell thick and fast from her eyes now, and James just kept rubbing those circles into her hand, comforting her beyond words. "He pushed me down," Lily continued, "and told me he always got what he wanted. He told me that some little coke slut like me wasn't going to stand in his way. I told him to stop. I said no, I fucking screamed it at the top of my lungs, but he just put his hand over my mouth and told me to shut the fuck up before he did something I'd regret.

"I just laid there and let him do what he wanted. I just laid there and hoped…and hoped that I could die, because dying was better than living at that moment."

James felt tears stinging his own eyes and anger burst in his chest at the man who did those things to his Lily. He wanted to meet the son of a bitch in a dark alley somewhere and tear the fucker limb from limb. The redhead on his lap wiped her tears away, and although the moisture still beaded on her lashes, she didn't cry anymore.

"After that, I just left. I packed up a bag of clothes and what little money I had and got out of there. I hated myself for what I'd done; what the drugs had turned me into. I was on the streets for a few days, and it was really rough. But then I met Remus." A genuine smile peeked from behind the hollow deadness in Lily's eyes. "He was really sweet. Let me stay at the room he was renting until I got on my feet. He tried to tell me that I didn't need to pay him back, that it was fine, but I never let him.

The next fall I enrolled in medical school and soon after that, I moved here." Lily looked up at James now, and her gaze was hard and brilliant and he felt the rush of that strange emotion from before in his heart. "I know that if I'd never met Remus, I'd be dead by now. And…and that's why I have to fight for him. He changed my life and now it's down to me to help him. I have to get him out of there."

James sat speechless for several long moments, wonder, awe, pride at Lily's fighting spirit and her strength of will fighting for dominance with that weird, foreign emotion inside of him. "I'll do whatever I can to help you Lily. I promise you, I will do anything to help you and Remus."

Lily smiled shyly. "Thank you, but you don't have to do-"

"I do, Lily," James interrupted. "I have to." Then, as though he'd been run over by a freight train going a thousand miles an hour, it hit him. He was in love with Lily Evans. That weird, indefinable emotion inside him that trumped all others was love. He felt like shouting it from the rooftops. "I have to," he repeated, softer now, "because I'm in love with you."

XXX

Remus lay on his back, his mind swimming with mingled hunger (he'd eaten the rest of his bread scrap hours ago) and legal mumbo jumbo. He'd read through the parchments completely at least four times, and it was all clear as day, that he'd made some punishable offence and was to be detained until his case file was reviewed.

That he would _ever_ be reviewed was a fact he held little faith in, as by all accounts no one who'd been detained had ever gotten to the review stage. Remus rather thought that they just kidnapped werewolves at random to test horrible new potions and treatments to cure their 'disease' upon. It made him physically sick to even think about it, and so he hurriedly pushed the thought away.

Just as he was debating whether or not to read the stack of legal processed trees that had sent him here again to simply cure his boredom, he heard a soft rustling from Patrick's cell and turned to see the bright, luminous blue eyes watching him. "You had a visitor," the boy stated. Remus nodded. "No one ever gets visitors here," the boy said, a hint of jealousy marring his soft speech.

"Yeah, well he can hardly be counted as much of a visitor."

"You love him."

Remus sat up and looked at the boy. Clearly he had witnessed the passionate reunion. Remus shook his head. "No, we just… It's complicated. But I don't love him."

"You kissed him. You only kiss someone when you love them." And they'd done a hell of a lot more than kissing… Remus smiled at the boy's naïveté, almost wishing he could live in such a disillusioned world. Then his smile faded as he realized how brutal the boy's world must really be.

"You're right," he answered softly. "I do love him. I don't know how or why, but I guess I do." Patrick smiled the way children are apt to do when a grown up confirms something they've said.

Patrick's smile turned into puzzlement. "Why do you look sad? The person you love came to visit, you should be happy."

Remus disliked the questioning, but didn't want to hurt or offend the young boy, so merely shrugged. "He didn't bring any good news. We're fighting." Patrick looked politely skeptical (Remus found himself thinking his mother would be proud of such manners), but before he could press the issue, the sound of footsteps had Patrick shrinking back into his shadows.

As they approached, Remus soon discovered that they belonged to two people, one with a rather light tread, and one with a careless heavy one. Remus strained to see who it could be, but they didn't come to his cell. Instead, the pair, swathed in shadows, stopped in front of Patrick's cell. Remus' heart leapt into his throat, as one of the men stepped aside to allow the other to unlock the door, and into the yellowy puddle of light.

It was the same dark robed, greasy haired man with sallow skin from before! Remus stood shakily. "Excuse me," he said loudly, and the jingle of key searching stopped as the dark man and the man in shadow both turned to look at him. "May I ask you what you're doing?"

"You may," said the man in shadow, whom Remus recognized by voice to be the fat, ugly hatted man (who appeared to run things around here). "But you won't necessarily get an answer." He laughed a wheezy, unattractive laugh, but the long-ish haired man in black didn't crack a smile, instead looking at Remus as though he was some abnormality.

"I just want to know what you intend to do to that boy you're attempting to retrieve."

Ugly Hat laughed again, and made to say something, but the man in black held up his hand, and fatty shut up. "We're taking him to run some standard tests," the man said in a silky voice. Remus felt shivers run up his spine from it, but whether they were good or bad, he could not determine. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because if you plan to inject him with some unknown substance like you did me, I'm afraid I'll have to take issue with it."

The man looked vaguely puzzled now (it was hard to tell, as his face was quite emotionless). "Would you rather take his place?"

Remus bit his lips. He really didn't, but if it would save Patrick from even a modicum of discomfort, he decided he was willing to do that. Such a young boy shouldn't have to be subjected to such treatments. "I would."

The black haired man's eyebrows actually rose, and fatty chortled again. Remus hoped he choked on his own saliva and died. "Come on now Snape," said the ugly hatted man, as if his companion were trying unsuccessfully to con him into something, "you aren't actually going to let it fill in for the whelp, are you?"

But Snape seemed to be ignoring the man whose name Remus still hadn't caught. Instead, he was assessing Remus with his dark, fathomless eyes. Remus simply gazed right back, schooling his face into a mask of indifference. "Alright," said Snape finally, motioning to fatty to unlock Remus' cell instead.

Ugly hat spluttered momentarily, but Snape cast him a glowering look, and he readily complied, apparently not willing to go up against this Snape person's wrath. Remus smiled at the faint gleam in the deepest shadows of Patrick's cell as he exited his own prison, and followed the men down the corridor.

"Leave us," said Snape blandly, not even bothering to look at the fatter man once they reached the same room Remus had been lead to before.

"Now I may have allowed you to change the test subjects, Snape, but these are my facilities, and I'll be damned if I let you just dismiss me like an impertinent child."

"Then perhaps I should tell my own master that you are being uncooperative in this venture. The Dark Lord, I'm sure, will not treat you like an impertinent child." Snape hadn't raised his voice whatsoever, had barely even changed the inflection with which he spoke, but Remus could feel the authority in it as well as he could feel his body inside his clothes.

Remus had no idea who this Dark Lord fellow was, and he got the distinct impression it would be better to not know, but the look on fat-and-ugly guy's face made him happier than he'd been in days. The flabby cheeks and multiple chins all turned a pasty, sick looking white, and his mouth began to tremble.

"N-no! I meant… I didn't…"

Snape merely widened his mouth in the imitation of a cold smile. "Then leave us."

Remus watched wordlessly as the man left and Snape began preparing the syringe. "I'm curious," he said softly, not looking up from his work, "as to why you would do such a seemingly stupid thing." His eyes met Remus' again. And the lycan felt a thin thread of mutual respect stretching between them. "Allowing yourself to knowingly be injected with a potentially harmful substance, that is."

"I would have thought the answer would be obvious, Mr. …Snape is it?" Remus replied politely as the man tied the tourniquet around his upper arm. "I didn't wish for the boy to have to endure such a pain when I knew myself capable of enduring it already. In short, I cared about him and didn't want him to get hurt. Surely you can understand that?"

Snape paused in reaching for the needle for half a second before lifting it gently into his hand. "Prepare yourself," he murmured, ignoring the question. "This will prick a bit." Remus watched as the contents of the syringe were emptied into his plump vein and felt the room begin to spin. He looked up and caught Snape's gaze, the blackness of his eyes enveloping him as he drifted into unconsciousness.

XXX

Lily stared at the man on whose lap she was seated. She'd had dozens; possibly hundreds of people tell her throughout her life that they loved her. Hell, she even believe a good majority of them, but never, in all her years, had Lily Evans had someone tell her they were _in love with_ her. She was shocked to say the least, mingled with a fair sized dollop of disbelief. She _had_ just told the man who claimed to be in love with her that she used to snort drugs and be a giant slag after all. James was looking at her rather expectantly, and Lily felt the need to say something. "I'm sorry?"

James smiled at her, that dazzling, bajillion watt smile that made women and girls of all ages swoon and kept rubbing those tiny, seemingly insignificant (though Lily would rather kick herself than have them stop) circles into her hand. "I'm in love with you. I just can't believe it's taken me this long to actually realize it."

Lily smiled weakly. This was James Potter! He was supposed to be being immature and pranking her and asking her out every five minutes, not telling her he was in love with her with that serious handsome look on his face and his blinding, swoon-worthy smile! The world had just gone topsy-turvy and Hell quite possibly had frozen over.

"Still not sure I'm understanding you. You mean to say that you, James Potter, are in love with, as in 'no-I'm-not-just-being-a-giant-berk-but-am-actually-_in-love_-with-you' in love, with me, Lily Evans?"

James chuckled, flashing his pearly whites again. "I am indeed."

Lily nodded, her mouth hanging slightly ajar and looking even more (if possible) dumbfounded than before. "But…why?"

James let go of her hand, and in the second it took for Lily's heart to plummet slightly, he was pulling her closer, his large hands on her back, warm and comforting as he pressed her to his chest. Lily sighed and leaned into the comfortable cranny between his neck and shoulder. "I don't know why to be honest," he replied, his voice vibrating slightly from her proximity to his vocal chords. "I just realized I do. It's hard to explain… Just, after you told me everything, all I could think of was how great and strong you are, for surviving, y'know? And… Well I guess I've been in love with you for a while…I just never knew it. If that makes any sense whatsoever."

Lily smiled, unable to stop the rosy blush that spread over her cheeks. "Thank you," she murmured softly. James merely stroked her back. "I'm sorry I can't say the same about you," she sighed disconsolately after some time. James laughed.

"No worries. I understand. But if I'm right, and Merlin knows I always am, then you'll realize it sooner or later. Hopefully sooner."

Lily found her spirits lifting despite feeling guilty that she didn't feel the same about James. Deep down, she knew he deserved someone who was just as in love with him as he was with her, but if he wanted to wait and see, she would give him the benefit of the doubt. In all honesty, if she was true to herself, Lily didn't think she could love anymore. She had lost too much of herself. She _wanted_ to care for James the way he cared for her, _wanted_ to love and be loved in return, but she just didn't see it happening. Not to her anyway. But despite her deepest, darkest doubts, her spirits lifted, and a tiny, almost imperceptible sliver of hope coursed through her. Maybe she could love. Maybe she could give it a chance at least.

She snuggled closer into James' warmth, her body suddenly aware of its quasi-naked state and the proximity to a young virile member of the opposing gender and she felt the passion that memories had tried to quench rekindling. She felt safe with James; secure and protected. His heat was infectious, and soon she found herself unbearably hot, every point where they connected seeming to blaze with an invisible fire. She turned her head and pressed her lips into James' neck. "I want you to make love to me."

James, who had been absently rubbing Lily's back, paused, not sure whether she could possibly be serious or not. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if his over-sexed brain had imagined the husky murmur. But then Lily pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes, her pupils dilated with her need and her irises dark and cloudy with desire. James felt his cock twitch back to life. "A-are you sure?"

Lily kissed him, confident and sure, her tongue doing things James never thought possible to do with another person. "Yes," she gasped, breaking the scorching kiss. She sat back and reached for James' hand. "I want you to make me fall in love with you." Lily lifted his hand and kissed the pads of each of his fingers, letting them slide down the pale column of her neck, over her collarbone to rest on the supple swell of her breast. James hardly dared breathe, let alone move. Lily's mouth ghosted over his. "Touch me, James." Her hand fell away and his remained. "I want you to put your hands on me, your mouth on me…" She moved so that she could whisper softly and hotly into his ear. "Your cock in me."

James groaned involuntarily as their mouths met again, hungry and greedy now, tongues fighting madly for dominance. Hands pulled frantically at clothes, eager for the delicious friction of skin on skin, and before either of them had realized it, Lily was lying breathless on her back, looking up at James in nothing but her knickers. He kissed down her body, along the line of her jaw, and then lower to suck gently at her pulse point. Lily arched and moaned softly, spurring him lower to nibble at her collarbone and shoulder.

"Please!" she gasped, clutching at his broad shoulders, needing more contact. Her nipples were hard and aching and her panties were soaked through. James took a nipple into his mouth, pulling at it teasingly with his teeth as he grinned up at her, euphoric delight written all over his face, as his nimble fingers rolled its twin skillfully.

The redhead let her hands slide down the toned perfection of James' chest and stomach as waves of pleasure rippled through her, gently fingering the waistband of his boxers. Their eyes met as Lily's soft hands pulled the material lower and lower and James flicked her nipple over and over again with his tongue.

He grunted as his engorged cock sprang free, hot and hard against his belly and groaned raggedly as Lily's soft gentle hands stroked him tentatively. He released her nipple and kissed the underside of her breast. "Fuck, that feels amazing Lily…" Lily smiled softly and blushed and James felt his heart nearing explosion point. He panted and groaned against the soft silk of her skin as she teased him, his breath making her hotter and wetter and she wriggled beneath him, aching for contact.

The TV blared away beside them unnoticed as James' hand slid down the concave of Lily's belly, her breath sucking in rapturously as he slid a digit against her slit, caressing her through the fabric of her undergarment. "Mmm…please," she breathed, gripping his cock lightly against her palm and driving him half mad. James pushed her knickers impatiently aside and repeated his movement, mimicking her groan.

"So fucking wet," he breathed, more to himself than her. He felt his cock throbbing in time to his racing heartbeat and knew he wouldn't last much longer. He hurriedly divested Lily of her panties and slid a finger into the wet warmth of her, making her moan and arch into him deliciously.

"James…please…I need you…" Lily whimpered as he pumped his finger in and out of her, his thumb grazing her clit and making her yelp in surprised pleasure. It had been so long…

As her thumb rubbed over the slit from which James' pre-come leaked and down the ridge of his cock, several things happened at once. Lily's eyes clenched shut as she came hard around James' finger, unable to hold back from the combined pleasure of his thumb and finger, Sirius walked through the front door, looking morose and half-pissed already, and James felt his heart drop, as his best mate's arrival would surely spell the end of couch fun with Lily.

"Sirius," he stated as his roommate flopped into the armchair across the room. "What-?"

Lily's eyes, which had snapped open through the haze of the aftermath of her orgasm, immediately landed on Sirius. "Black! What the hell?!" she cried, hurriedly covering herself as best as one can while lying on a couch with someone over them.

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. "Calm down Evans, I'm not interested."

"What are you doing here?" James asked, hurriedly pulling his boxers back on and passing Lily her clothing. "I thought you were asleep."

Sirius shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, so this morning, before you got up, I went out. I…went to see Remus."

"How is he?" Lily asked immediately. Sirius looked down at his hands and frowned at a hangnail.

"He's…he seems to be doing alright."

"What do you mean, _seems_?" Lily demanded. "How is he? What's wrong with him? Tell me!"

James put a hand on Lily's arm and gave Sirius a scrutinizing look. "Sirius? What happened mate?"

Sirius sighed and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes sockets, watching as weird shapes and colours burst behind his eyelids, and then dragged his hands over his face roughly. "We didn't talk long. I gave him the parchments, and he saw what…what I'd done and told me to leave. So I left."

"You left?" said Lily rather harshly. "You didn't even find out what's been happening; what those bastards have been _doing to him_!?"

Sirius met her eyes miserably, hating himself more, he was sure, than Lily Evans could ever dream of hating him. "Yes. I left because he told me to. I've hurt him enough, I don't want to do it anymore." He rose and started towards the hallway. "I'm going to go sleep or something," he murmured, and hurriedly departed.

James looked after him worriedly as Lily bit her thumbnail, deep in thought. "We have to go see him," she said finally, and James trained his eyes to her face. "Remus," she added, in answer to his questioning look. "We have to see him. _I_ have to see him. For all we know, he could be dying."

"I think Sirius would have told us if it were that bad."

"That's not the point though James. You said you'd help me with this, and Merlin knows I'm probably going to need your help getting in there. Are you in this or not?"

James sighed. He _had_ said that… "I'm in. When do you want to go?"

"Now. Come on, get dressed. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes and we can Apparate out." Lily got up and dashed off to where her clothes from the previous day were (aka James' room) and left James, still hard and aching, sitting alone on his sofa. The messy-haired man sighed and looked at the TV. At least he could watch the telly for a few minutes.

XXX

**Author's Note: (WARNING! LONG ASS A/N AHEAD!) **There! Another chapter done! AND!! I must tell you all about my good fortune! My brother bought a new computer (although he already HAS a laptop) and since he 'doesn't have room for three computers' in his room (nice, eh?) HE GAVE ME THIS ONE. I am currently in MY OWN BEDROOM typing this. Exciting, exciting, I know. This will mean faster updates, as I can write whenever I feel like it. XD Now enough blabbering, you all know what to do. Cheers!!

PS. – I know the smut this chapter was het, and while we ALL know I'm definitely a full out slash fangirl, there will always be a soft spot in me for het lovin'…it was the first smut I ever tried. More slash is coming though. XD

PPS. – I will be gone for the month of August, so if this isn't up for AGES, know I HAVE NOT forgotten it, I just went away for the summer. Thanks!!

PPPS. – Had to throw in a GINORMOUS thanks to Lauren. I LOVE GRED AND FORGE!!! I love them (and Lauren) the way a Fat Kid loves cake. That definitely made my week. 'Get out of my bathroom, you're not supposed to be here, this is my home not yours, don't disturb it…'

PPPPS. – (RIDONKULUS, I know, but…I have more 'splainin' to do). OKAY! So again, so sorry this is late but AFTER I got home at the end of August, I realized that my brother's Internet bill thing got fucked up, so I was kind of SOL for a bit, and when I last asked him, he said he's 'been too lazy lately to call' the other ISP provider around here, so I really have NO idea when this will be up. I AM SORRY!! Please don't kill me with sporks… Hopefully (fingers crossed) it'll be up before Halloween (clearly didn't happen). Or Christmas…or the New Year…oh dear…SHUTTING UP NOW!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for possible sexual content, violence and language. Reader discretion is advised. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **CHAPTER SEVEN!! So exciting! Now this is probably only going to be five or six more chapters (depending on how much plot I can cram into each chapter) and then it'll be done. WOOT! …Yet a sad woot. Anyhow, please review! 'Through the fire and the flames we carry on…' Cheers!!

PS. – Raise your hand if you've ever had a dirty thought while eating a hot dog. All those who raised their hands, welcome to my life. All those who didn't…what the hell are you doing here? LMFAO.

XXX

Lily tapped her foot impatiently as the lift jangled and clanged its downward descent while James yawned hugely into his fist. They'd managed to make it out of the flat in seven minutes (severely demolishing James' notion that all women took hours to get ready) and to the Ministry of Magic visitor's entrance. The only problem now was getting in to see Remus.

Neither of them had any idea of what it would take to get in nor whether they would even be allowed to see Remus. James looked sidelong at Lily. "Lily," he murmured as the lift clanged ever downward, "I should tell you, the majority of these people are bigots and racists, and so it's best not to take offence to anything they say. Stay calm and collected and pretend you share their beliefs until we get in, okay?"

The redhead fixed him with a stern green-eyed gaze he was all too familiar with. "I'll do and say as I please, James, and no amount of bigotry will change that. However, I promise not to fly off the handle at least until we actually get in there." James smiled. "But when we leave I'm going to give those pricks a piece of my mind."

"I'd expect nothing less, luv."

The lift finally clattered to a halt and they stepped out, neither bothering to take in the plush Atrium, heading straight for the sign in desk. The watch wizard on duty, a burly, balding and middle-aged man, eyed the pair of young people with distaste. He motioned to James first, and he was processed without a second glance, then the man turned to Lily. "Wand."

The redhead paused. "I don't have one."

The guard wizard cocked an eyebrow. "Then what the bleeding hell are you doing here?" He looked suspiciously at James and then back at Lily, his distaste obviously growing. Lily, however, didn't bat an eyelash.

She leaned confidently over the desk, secretly glad Merlin (or whoever decided such things) had granted her an ample bosom. "Just need to go with my friend to see someone." She looked up from under her lashes at the man, whose gaze flickered noticeably from her eyes to her chest and back. "You can let me pass… What's one little girl like me going to do?" She even went so far as to wink, and the man verily drooled on himself.

"Alright," he said gruffly. "On you go."

"Thanks," Lily beamed, and trotted away with James in tow, who looked mildly impressed.

"Never knew you could be such a vixen, Evans."

"Oh, there's a lot you don't know about me yet, Potter," she teased, grinning as they stepped into a second set of lifts and went up to the fourth level, which an ethereal, cool female voice described as the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Once out of the lift, they got directions from a kindly witch, who cast them pitying looks, as to where to find the Werewolf Supervision and Registration Division.

A young, pimply youth sat at the front desk when they arrived, and looked up at them in a bored, glazed sort of way. "Can I help you?" he asked tiredly.

"Yes," said James before Lily could answer, "we're looking for an animal that may have been detained here within the last week, as we have some business with it. Where might we find said animal?"

The pimple faced young man looked marginally interested. "I'm sorry, but only Ministry personnel are allowed in those facilities," he said, sounding anything but sorry.

"Perhaps," said James, putting on an air of superiority, "you don't know me. My name is James Potter."

"You're right, I don't know you. Only personnel are allowed in those facilities, and as you don't work here, I'm afraid you cannot go in."

Lily looked at James and refrained (just barely) from rolling her eyes. How had she known it wouldn't work? "Excuse me," she said, the model of politeness, "Mr.…?"

"Hastings. Matthew Hastings."

"Mr. Hastings. May I call you Matthew?" The redhead didn't wait for an answer, but plowed on anyway. "You see, my fiancé and I were accosted by this beast, and he stole something very valuable to us." She waggled her empty ring finger suggestively. "We just need to see the thing to get our property back, as we're positive he had it in his possession when he was detained. It really is urgent."

The man seemed to hesitate, caught between wanting to do his job by the rulebook and help this lovely young woman. "I can have someone from personnel go in and find you your property if you'd like. What animal is it?" he asked finally flicking a few sheets of parchments over on a clipboard on his desk.

Lily laughed. "I haven't the foggiest, do you darling?" she asked, looking at James.

"No, but I'm sure I'd recognize the bastard if I saw him." He managed to scowl menacingly despite the fact he wanted to burst into laughter at Lily's acting abilities. She'd gone form a teasing hussy to a well-bred pureblood in mere minutes when she was, in fact, was from either.

"Please, Matthew; we're getting married in a few weeks and it would be just _horrible_ if we didn't have the engagement ring. It's a family heirloom, you see." Somehow, she conjured up a pair of convincingly misty eyes, and James watched the pockmarked youth melt like butter in the heat of the sun.

"Alright, follow me."

Lilly smiled gratefully. "Oh thank you so much! You really are wonderful! James, honey, be sure to mention his name the next time you speak with the Minister, won't you? He's just been _so_ helpful."

"I'll be sure to do that," James agreed, and it was not a lie. If ever he did get to speak to the Minister of Magic, he'd tell him Hastings (who now looked most impressed) had been an excellent employee.

"Just right this way," he said pompously, leading them around his desk and through a series of ever increasingly complex security-spelled doors. "Just down here," he said, unlocking the last door with a Muggle key, and they stepped into the dank, poorly lit hallway that stretched on into eternity with putrid air, metal bars and concrete floors. Lily's nose wrinkled in unmitigated disgust and even James felt the corners of his mouth turn down as though he'd tasted something bitter. "Shall we start on the left side then?" asked Hastings, noticing neither expression, being focused entirely on his newly appointed task.

He made to move forward, but James, ever the thinker-ahead (a talent which made him a pranking master), put his hand up to forestall the young man. "If possible, we'd like to deal with this ourselves." He grimaced and the young man seemed to catch on, grinning toothily.

"You got it. I'll wait here for you." James nodded and took a rather pale Lily by the elbow, steering her forward, breathing a sigh of relief that they wouldn't have Pimples breathing down their necks while they visited Remus. The messy-haired man lit his wand softly and as they moved down the increasingly dark corridor that was lit with only the barest of lights, his unease grew.

From behind almost half the cages, ragged, thin men with overly long and pointed teeth leered at them, several going so far as to suggest Lily come pay them a special visit. The redhead ignored them, chanting the mantra 'I'm doing this for Remus' over and over in her mind.

Finally, the end of the row loomed into sight as they passed under the last light bulb, and the pair both held their breath expectantly.

XXX

Sirius stared at the ceiling, feeling the universe and all its contents pressing down on his heart. Remus hated him, Lily didn't even trust the words that came out of his mouth anymore, and James…well James was back chasing Evans again.

He'd gone and fucked everything up, just like he always did, and once again, he was alone. It all seemed so horrendously unfair, and yet at the same point, Sirius understood the universe's justifications for what he'd been given. Things were his fault. He'd been sorted into Gryffindor and not been the perfect, pureblood, Slytherin son his parents had hoped for and it was his fault. He'd let his younger, much more admirable and respectable (in his parents' eyes anyway), and impressionable brother join the Dark Lord and that, too, was his fault. Then he'd become gay and been unable to produce another male heir to the family fortune like everyone expected him to. And even that was his fault.

He was sick of it. Sick and fucking tired of being the one to blame, the scapegoat. Sirius wanted out, and he only knew one way to get out.

Getting up from his bed, the dark haired young man meandered into the bathroom, opening the shoddily stocked and messy medicine cabinet and surveyed the contents within. Extra toothpaste, a lonely old toothbrush whose owner Sirius couldn't recall, bandages, shaving cream, half a dozen razors, some ancient cough medicine that had been there when they'd moved in, and…yes they were still there.

Sirius pulled out the bottle of sleeping pills one of those Muggle doctors had prescribed for James when he'd had the flu a couple months before and been unable to sleep for coughing and wheezing and grumbling. Only a few were missing, as James had finally taken Sirius' advice and gone to St. Mungo's to get his illness cleared up. Certainly there were still enough to do the job Sirius had in mind for them.

He shuffled out to the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of water from the sink faucet, and with the pills and water, headed back to his bedroom. He put the items on his nightstand and contemplated leaving some sort of explanation, and then shook his head. James would figure it out and there was no one else to whom he felt the need to explain himself.

Sitting himself, his long legs stretched out before him on the bed, he popped open the pill bottle and dumped out the contents. Best to count them to make sure there were definitely enough. The last thing he needed to do was mess up his own suicide. Then he really _would_ be pathetic.

XXX

Lily opened her mouth to call out to her lycanthropic friend, but before the words formed themselves in her larynx, a tall, dark figure slipped out of the last cell and a startled yelp, instead, slipped out.

James trained his wand at the figure and tried to control his shaking hand. "Who are you? Make yourself known immediately or I'll be forced to hex you!"

"I see things have changed little since I last had the displeasure of meeting you Potter," said a cold voice that dripped sarcasm. Severus Snape looked up into the surprised hazel eyes of his long time arch rival with deepest loathing. His own wand was pointed at James, who felt rather exposed and confused in the current situation, as well as concerned about Lily.

He knew she and Snape had been at least cordial friends until around fifth year or so, and while he never stopped to question why they had ceased speaking, he was sure it was not at all to Snape's liking. How, now, would the man react to seeing Lily all these years later, with him no less?

"Severus?" Lily said astonishment and befuddlement warring for dominance in those luminous green eyes.

"Lily?" Snape questioned, lighting the end of his own wand and directing the glow at Lily. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his dark, fathomless eyes softening slightly.

"I'm here to…" Lily paused, glancing at James, whose mouth was a thin line and looked less than happy to meet his old enemy down here. She didn't know if she should keep up her pretence of finding a lost engagement ring or not. "See someone," she finished vaguely. "What on earth are you…?" Lily's mouth turned down slightly and her tone went icy. "Do you work here?"

Severus looked mildly shocked. "I see. And in a manner of speaking, yes. I'm on contract here by higher authorities, though I assure you, it's not my first choice of employment." Snape looked back at James and the sneer rose to his lips unbidden. "And what brings you here with _him_?"

"That's not your business, is it Snivelly?" James snapped. Lily bit her lip. Time was running short on their end, and she felt certain that before long, someone would question Hastings as to why he'd left his post, and then find out they were here and ultimately kick them out before they even got to see Remus. The redhead made up her mind and stepped between the two before Snape had a chance to reply.

"Look, I know you two don't get along or whatever, but just shut it for now. It's been ages so just forgive and forget and that entire toss. Now look, Severus, can you help us? We're looking for Remus Lupin and we don't have all day."

"Lupin? I can't say I know anyone here by that name. Unless…" He looked at Lily with scrutinizing eyes. "Unless you mean animal seventeen J six." From the blank look Lily gave him, he realized she couldn't possibly know a werewolf identification number. "Never mind. I think I know the…person you mean, just in there." He indicated the last cell in the corridor, and Lily smiled gratefully as she brushed past him.

James, on the other hand, wouldn't be deterred. "So you're here by higher authorities then?" he asked distastefully. "Still groveling at the feet of your Dark Lord then?" Snape's pale face went ghostly and he swallowed convulsively. "Huh, I figured as much. Still as dark and twisted as ever I see, not that I expected much else."

"Oh yes," sneered the slightly shorter man. "And you've changed ever so much since the last day I saw you. Still an arrogant swine who thinks that he can get whatever he wants simply because he wants it."

James pointed his wand furiously as his nemesis copied him a heartbeat after. "You're still just jealous that Lily doesn't want you. And now that she's with me-"

"Don't kid yourself Potter. Lily would never want some troll-brained imbecile like yourself."

"What the hell are you doing here Snivelly? Torturing people who happen to be afflicted by a horrible disease? Getting your rocks off doing some sick experiment? Am I fucking close yet?"

"Last I recall, it's no business of yours what I do anywhere, and I think torture is much more your forte Potter; after all, you've had your fair share of practice at it."

James felt his carefully controlled rage break through and the next thing he was aware of was slamming the thin, pale man into the cold, hard wall, his nose a mere inch away from Snape's. "I swear to fucking god, if you fucking _touch_ Remus, I'm going to-"

"You're going to what?" Snape challenged, smiling an eerie, humorless smile. "You know as well as I that if you even think of threatening me, the consequences will be not at all to your liking."

James pulled back, letting Severus go, biting back his rage with clenched teeth, hating the other man as he smoothed out his robes and wanting nothing more than to beat the stupid gloating, smug look off of his rival's face. "I fucking hate you."

"The feeling is mutual."

XXX

"Remus?" Lily murmured into the dark stink that lay beyond the feeble puddle of illumination the crappy light bulb provided. She could vaguely make out the outline of a motionless figure on the ground and stepped toward it hesitantly.

Suddenly, the figure groaned groggily and rolled over into the half-light and Lily's shining green eyes met the tired amber of Remus. "Oh, hello Lily. What brings you here?" he murmured softly, almost inaudibly.

Lily felt hot tears of gratitude that Remus was still alive and well enough to make bad attempts at humour stream down her face. "Oh Remus," she sighed, dropping to her knees and pulling his thinner-than-usual frame against herself. "How are you? You look horrid."

Remus smirked. "I'm as well as can be expected I guess. And thank you for telling me I look horrid. I would have combed my hair, but I don't have a comb on me…much less anything else."

"This is hardly a laughing matter," Lily chided.

"Though not entirely unexpected."

"Remus!"

"Well, it's true," the lycan replied, his sarcastic bravado deflating. "When you grow up the way I have it's hard not to notice almost everyone hates you on principle."

Lily hesitated to broach the next subject, but gathered up her Gryffindor courage anyway. "So I heard that Sirius er…dropped by…"

Remus snorted derisively. "Yes, Black came by. He is still the veritable bearer of bad things. God how could I have been so stupid to think he actually cared about me? How could I have convinced myself I loved him back?" he added in a whisper Lily didn't catch.

"He does care about you Remus! You should have seen him when he found out he was the one behind this! He looked like his best friend had just died!" Lily thought fleetingly of James. "Okay, maybe even worse than that. But the point is, he was really torn up about it!! I…I think he actually really cares for you Remus. He never meant to hurt you."

"That's what everyone says after they've hurt you," Remus retorted darkly.

"Remus Lupin, I'm utterly ashamed of you! Stop pitying yourself; we're _going_ to get you out of here, one way or another. I promise."

Remus looked at her bright green orbs and a sudden plan formed in the fore of his magnificent grey-celled mass. "Yeah…yeah you are… Lily I need you to do me a huge favour."

Lily smiled at her friend and the man who had saved her, ultimately, from herself. "Anything. I owe you."

XXX

Sirius was sitting on his bed, just staring at those maddening little pills he'd dumped there. He wasn't entirely sure, but he assumed there were enough there to do the tedious job of wiping him off the face of the earth. Now came the hard bit…how best to go about this.

Should he just down them all in a handful and risk choking to death? Or do it one by one and risk falling asleep before he finished? Decisions, decisions… He picked up the empty bottle and squinted to read the directions. They were in tiny, vaguely faded letters and though they were difficult to make out, they were still legible enough to read.

Take one to two capsules before bed. DO NOT OVERDOSE. CAUTION: KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN. If allergic reaction occurs, discontinue use. IF YOU FEAR YOU HAVE OVERDOSED, CALL A POISON CONTROL CENTRE IMMEDIATELY.

What practical instructions…he fervently hoped he wasn't allergic and popped a pair of the pills into his mouth, picking up his glass of water from the nightstand. They went down easily and he waited a few moments to see if he would spontaneously combust or anything. When nothing happened, he shrugged and took another couple, putting them under his tongue and filling his mouth with water. Unbidden, a little tune burst into his head and his subconscious supplied the lyrics.

'We're off to see the Reaper, the terrible Reaper of Death. We're off to see the Reaper, only thirty-one pills are left…' And humming off-key to himself, he swallowed once more, his fingers already anxious on the next few pills.

XXX

Ezekiel (or Zeke to his few friends) Plodwalker strode with the confidence that only power can bring. And seeing as how this man had a rather tasteless eye for hats and a hag's best for features, it seemed the only way he could obtain an air of breezy confidence that some took for granted (the bastards) was through power. And power this man had.

He was _the_ official Head of the Werewolf Regulation and Supervision for the Ministry of Magic. And while this wasn't necessarily as good as being Head of the Department of Mysteries or anything, it still afforded him a reasonable salary (which he cushioned out by blatantly stealing from his subordinates) and a reasonable amount of grudging respect. Hell, it even got a few broads to lie on their backs for him, so it wasn't terrible.

He had decided that evening, to make a rare tour of the facilities he was in charge of, just to see whether or not any more of the experiments had died, and to take a shifty on the beast Snape (he frowned as he thought the name) had done his tests on. Who knew, maybe the thing had gone rabid and he'd be rid of Snape for good. One could hope anyway.

He frowned when there was no one at the front desk, as he'd specifically ordered there always be someone to greet visitors or offer help (with a smile of course) almost the second he got the job. He hated being like the rest of the incompetent idiots who ran sub-departments (especially the ones in the Quidditch Department), where it took you half an hour to find someone to tell you what you needed to know. Disorganized bastards in short.

Determined that he would ream out whatever imbecile had left the desk for whatever reason, Zeke continued on his way through the facilities, finally pulling a key to unlock the last door, only to find that it was already unlocked. His ugly face flushed with his anger. First there was no one attending the desk and now some jerk-off decided to leave the most secure door in the whole fucking _building_ unlocked? Zeke decided on the spot he would bawl out the first sorry individual he saw.

Unluckily for poor Matthew Hastings, he happened to be the first person Zeke laid eyes on, as he stood leaning casually against the wall, humming to himself. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Hastings looked up, shock and fear warring for dominance in his eyes. "M-Mr. Plodwalker!" he stuttered. "What…that's…how come you're-"

"Here?" Plodwalker snapped. "This is my motherfucking facility you dolt! What in the name of Merlin's saggy left nut are you doing here? Why aren't you at your post!?"

"I…someone…" Hastings said brokenly, trying to control the severe urge to vomit he felt rising within him. "They…they said they had b-business…"

"What in the blazes are you on about?" Plodwalker demanded, but Hastings was saved the trouble of replying when Severus Snape loomed from out of the shadows, a sadistic smile marring his normally blank features. "Snape! What the ruddy hell is going on here?"

Snape's black eyes flicked to Hastings, who was pale and trembling, and back to the fat, ugly man before him. "You weren't aware that two individuals had come to pay animal seventeen j six a visit?" he asked smoothly, his enjoyment obviously increasing as he watched Plodwalker's blood pressure rising.

"What!?"

"Oh, so sorry to break the news like this…" said Severus, looking anything but sorry. "Yes, two individuals came to pay animal seventeen j six a visit. They're with it now."

Zeke rounded on Hastings, who flinched. "You! You're fired! Everybody's fucking fired! …_Go get them out of there you useless pile of dung_!" He screamed when Hastings simply stood there, and the pockmarked youth sped off immediately into the dim to find Lily and James. "Who are these visitors, and what do they want with the beast?" he asked Snape none too politely, still red-faced and breathing angrily.

Severus paused before saying in that inscrutable voice that gave nothing away, "I have no idea."

XXX

Sirius felt drowsy. He had lost count of the number of little pills he'd downed already, but there was only a small pile left. He reached for them, pushing them clumsily into his mouth as his limbs began to lose their functioning, and slopped water down himself as he made to drink them down with the rest. "Damn," he slurred, his vision swimming before his eyes.

He laid back on his bed, reaching out blindly to put the glass back on his nightstand and only vaguely registering the sound of it shattering as he missed the hard surface and tried to set it down on thin air. His eyes closed of their own accord, as his breathing grew heavy. He thought fleetingly of Remus, and felt a surge of guilt burning him inside. But no… It was better off this way.

And as he let the darkness steal over him, that lush, comforting blackness of the deepest of sleeps, Sirius knew that it would all be over soon.

XXX

"Do you understand Lily? Will you do it for me?" Remus asked. Lily, who looked rather frightened, mustered her Gryffindor courage and nodded. Remus smiled in relief, the breath he hadn't realized he was holding whooshing out of him.

There was the sound of sudden, hurried footsteps echoing through the building, and James stuck his head in the cell, looking between the two. "I hate to break this up, but we have to go. _Now_." Lily stood and James pulled her hurriedly to himself. "We have to Apparate out of here."

Remus, who stood shakily, was shaking his head however. "You can't, it's impossible." Lily, whose stunning eyes were now wide with fear, looked from James to Remus and back, her mind whirling. If they were caught in here, having a friendly chat with a werewolf, they'd be done for. "James! The ring! Quick, Conjure me a big flashy ring!"

The sound of footsteps was louder and much closer now, and as James waved his wand, Lily looked at Remus. "Play along," she whispered, darting out of the cell after snatching the ring from James. "James, hurry up! Make it look like you've been beating the shit out of him!"

Lily jammed the too-small ring onto her left ring finger just as Hastings came into the puddle of light looking wildly around. Her head whipped round at the sound of bone crunching, just catching Remus' form falling to the dirty floor and James rubbing his knuckles. "And if you ever touch my fiancé again, you'll be hoping to Merlin you're locked up somewhere you filth," James sneered. He caught Lily's eye and spotted Hastings, and spat on the floor beside Remus for effect.

"Come on, darling," said Lily in as condescending a voice as she could muster under the circumstances. "I think it might have learned its lesson… Oh Matthew!" she said, turning to face him for the first time. "How perfect your timing is, we're all done here."

Hastings looked from Remus, who groaned and wiped blood from his lower lip, to Lily and James, who had exited the cell and now stood beside the redhead, holding her elbow in case the youth decided to do something stupid. Instead, Matthew Hastings grinned nervously, and beckoned them forward wordlessly.

The followed, James staring straight ahead as he pulled a reluctant Lily away, while she looked over her shoulder, catching one last glimpse of Remus sitting on the dirty floor before the light faded out and she saw nothing except James' lighted wand tip.

She hoped to Godric Remus' plan would work… If not, she didn't want to think about the consequences.

XXX

**Author's Note: **Well, pardon first of all for the uber long author's note ahead. If you really just don't care, feel free to simply scroll down and press the green writing link that reads Review.

Now. I'M BACK!!! And may I say it feels good. To those of you who don't know, I went and stayed with my older sister for the month of August. I had a blast; laughed until I cried and cried until I could laugh, learned a lot about myself, consoled and was consoled, had some WEIRD dreams and missed everyone terribly. Kisses and hugs and I promise I'll give more warning next time.

I found myself most uninspired due to woeful lack of access to fan fictions and my friends and muses and smut idea comers up with (if that made any sense). But I'll write up what I have got though. Drop me a line and tell me what I've missed!!

Cheers lovelies!!

PS. – OHMIGOD!! I've lost my plot sheet thing for this and I don't remember all that was on it!! (tries not to hyperventilate) But I will find it ASAP. Promise.

Never mind, I found it. (grins sheepishly) GAH! I ripped it in my excitement of finding it after losing it yet again! Hmm…I'm sensing more stupidity on my part than I thought possible here…

PPS. – This is also late because of my stupid ISP (Internet Service Provider). They're lame and stupid. End of story (but not THIS story of course…hah ha…).


	8. Chapter 8

**Lessons in Etiquette**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of the characters mentioned in this story, unless stated otherwise. Rated for possible sexual content, violence and language. Reader discretion is advised. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidence and I will not be held responsible! Thanks!

_**WARNING:**_ WILL CONTAIN SLASH (male on male), and AU-ness!! Ye be warned

**Author's Note: **Ugh I haven't worked on this in AGES so I don't know how good this is going to turn out. Please bear with me while I get back into my groove. And…sorry about the slight cliffy last chapter…heh. I know I'm mean. But anyway, let us move ONWARDS with the story. 'We fight, we break up, we kiss, we make up' Cheers!

PS. – Aha, I found out how to put some smut in! Please don't hurt me with sporks when you read the pairing…my mum told me to make them go for it so…I did. LOL, and I _listen to my mother_. All gratitude shall be passed to her if you liked it. XD

PPS. – You know, I agree with Ron, only in reverse. Someone should write a book that translates the madly confusing things boys do so we can understand them. Ugh. Maybe I should just start batting exclusively for the other team…

XXX

Sirius felt…weird. It was a poor adjective, undoubtedly, but it was the closest thing he could think to explain just what he was experiencing. He still had awareness of his body, and obviously (since he was stringing together coherent thoughts) he had some modicum of consciousness too, but when he made to get up from his bed to call the manufacturers of those stupid useless pills and give them a piece of his effing mind, he found he couldn't move.

It was like his body was suddenly made of granite, heavy and immobile, stuck forever in one position. Fear crept in and Sirius tried desperately to shove the choking emotion away. No. He couldn't be afraid. This is what he wanted. He wanted it to be over, forever. He didn't want to have to think about James – a sharp pain pierced his chest like an ice pick into his heart at the name – or think about Remus – the ice pick twisted viciously.

But if he was entirely honest with himself (something he tended to avoid, as the outcomes were generally unpleasant for him), Sirius was afraid. Scared fucking shitless. He suddenly didn't want to die. Dying was stupid and selfish. And even though he refused to think the thought fully in his head, he wanted, _needed_, to see Remus at least once more. Needed to kiss those lips, taste that mouth; feel that body pressed against his in the fiery heights of ecstasy. The stabbing pain in his chest intensified and he thought wildly that he might be having a heart attack. But that was stupid…wasn't the pain supposed to go away when you died?

XXX

"Do you want to go home?" James asked softly as they struggled through the bustling streets of downtown London towards his flat. Lily shook her head. Home wouldn't be home anymore without Remus there, waiting for her with a smile and something delicious to eat.

"No." She took his hand and smiled weakly at him. They had barely escaped the Ministry intact. Lily had, quite skillfully, talked them out of trouble (which meant that the leftover blame was added onto poor Matt Hastings, not that James or Lily particularly cared) and they had hurried out of the underground building thanking Merlin and their lucky stars they'd gotten out of it alive.

There was only one problem with this. They had to go back. It was the crux of Remus' hurriedly whispered plan – they _had _to go back. But with the Ministry now even tighter and undoubtedly on the lookout for intruders, it would be even more impossible now. The redhead sighed to herself at this thought, because as impossible as she knew it was, as much as the chips were stacked against her being able to help Remus with his plan, she would try. Not just because she owed it to him or because it was the right thing to do, but because she loved him.

"Are you sure?" James asked as they rounded the corner onto the street that held his apartment building. "You don't want to get clothes or anything?"

Lily contemplated that for a minute before smiling. "Hmm…good point. But no, I don't want to go back to my place." Her eyes twinkled as she looked up, meeting his slightly puzzled hazel gaze. "I can just walk around naked."

He chuckled, pulling her closer and wrapping an arm around her waist (he was still shocked she wasn't beating the shit out of him for such a stunt) and they let themselves into the building.

As soon as they crossed the threshold into the slightly dingy foyer lined with the tenants' mailboxes and the intercom that usually didn't work, James felt a heavy sense of foreboding settle over him. His shoulders sagged slightly with the weight of calamity and he struggled to shake the feeling off. It was preposterous to feel this way. He was in the company of the woman he loved more than just about everything and she was making allusions of being naked in his presence; the last thing he should be feeling was like his best friend had died! Squaring his shoulders against the onslaught of his premonition of bad, he unlocked the door to the hall and lead Lily to the elevator, which dinged pitifully as the doors shuddered open.

The weight seemed to increase as they rode the elevator (which seemed, as it always did, to be on its last ascent before breaking entirely) and James felt a shiver of something terrible and terrifying down his spine. Sweat broke out over the back of his neck and his hands went icy. Lily, who had noticed James' face growing more and more somber as the elevator wheezed it's way upward, now squeezed one of the chilly appendages she still gripped. "James?" she murmured, her breath warm against his clammy skin. "James what's wrong?"

He only shook his head as the door groaned open and the tired elevator pinged once more, announcing their arrival on the right floor. Fear was like ice in the Animagus' belly and the sense of dread that had been hanging over him ever since entering the building was now almost incapacitating. He fumbled with his keys at the door, missing the lock twice before succeeding in sliding the key home his hands were shaking so badly.

Lily, beside him, shivered, though whether it was her perception of the same funk of emotion that hung over James or her reaction to his sudden graveness or simply her imagination, she didn't know. James finally managed to get the front door of the flat open, and immediately knew something was wrong.

He crossed the darkened living room with its adjacent kitchenette through the dark with the easy familiarity of having lived there so long without moving the furniture around, hardly aware of Lily ghosting after him. He didn't bother with lights. It was as though some strange magnet was pulling him inexorably toward Sirius' bedroom. The intense feeling of ill, that something was horribly, horribly wrong with his best friend, was now a certainty in James' mind. And as much as he wanted to run for help, he couldn't stop his feet from moving with ever-increasing speed toward the door that stood partially ajar.

He sprinted the last few feet and threw open the door hard enough to slam it into the wall behind, the drywall protesting sharply to such abuse. He stopped dead when he took two steps into the room and Lily almost bumped into him. Fear parched James' mouth and he clutched the doorframe for support. This couldn't be – _wasn't_ – happening…was it?

XXX

Remus sighed as he pored over the thick sheaf of parchments that made up his death sentence. He didn't notice at first the rough, weathered wood he was leaning against. His head lifted and he looked out into the bright blue/grey sky that stretched to the horizon of forever. Hmm…why was it strange? The grass felt cool and soft beneath him the shade from the brim of his hat refreshing in the bright light.

Remus looked to his left then and smiled to cover his shock and delight that Sirius lounged beside him, smiling, fag burning away. The feeble sun painted auburn highlights in the brunette's hair. The fair-haired young man reached for his hand and Sirius grinned now, crushing his fag into the soil.

Unable to resist smiling a little himself, Remus pulled his lover closer, knowing somehow that they wouldn't be disturbed. Lips met heatedly as the elder of the two gripped Sirius' hips, grinding upward into him, groaning when he felt the half-hard cock rubbing over his own arousal. There was no rhyme or reason to it, but as Sirius sucked his tongue eagerly into his mouth, Remus didn't really care. He growled at the limited friction of their position and, smirking, laid Sirius on his back in the sweet-smelling grass, a leg on either side of his hips.

His mouth dipped to nip lovingly at the brunette's throat, licking away the sting and eliciting grateful moans. Remus chuckled and traced a collarbone with his tongue, shoving the undone shirt aside. Wait – when had that come undone? Perhaps Sirius had done it and he simply hadn't noticed…

Sirius clutched his arse as he ground their cocks together again with fevered, reckless abandon and Remus moaned as the youth humped upward into his hips. Faster they went and rougher Remus became. He sucked on the panting and incoherent brunette's shoulder as the front of his Wranglers threatened to split from his hard-on, the heat from their frenzied rubbing making the lycan feverish, the action almost fading, blurring in a familiar way. His passion reached a frenzied crescendo inside him and the heat over his body was blistering, his skin seeming to melt from his bones, dripping into strange forms…

And suddenly he was no longer himself. His mouth slid to his lover's neck and his teeth had become fangs. Where once he had lovingly caressed Sirius' flesh, now thick-furred paws with long dangerous nails pinned the human to the ground. Yet still his hips rocked and pleasure flooded his brain, drowning out everything but his animalistic urge to dominate, claim what was his.

Blood rushed in his body and in his brain and below him. Sirius' pulse, thick and lovely under his mouth, so perfectly human. _Bite_, commanded a rough voice in his head. It had the familiarity of some half-recalled dream. _Bite now_!

Just as he felt the sharp tug of nirvana and he tipped into his orgasm, his jaw locked, his teeth pressing into, almost piercing, the supple flesh on that delicious neck, and Remus' eyes flew open.

He was on his back, panting as though he'd run a marathon, with sweat pouring from him as he shivered on the floor of his cell.

"Are you alright?" For one horrible, fleeting second, Remus thought the voice was that from his dream, that wild, terrifying, beast side to him speaking. Telling him to bite… And in the next instant, he realized it was Patrick.

"I…I'm fine," he gasped, managing to sit up.

"It's close. You can feel it too." Remus nodded, though the boy's statement hardly warranted and answer. Still, in the wake of his dream, his manners were perfect, flawless as they'd always been. The impending full moon was not the only thing he felt either. His cock was rock hard in his pants and he hurriedly hunched over the noticeable fabric bulging and pulled his knees to his chest.

The time was impossible to tell but Remus hazarded a faint guess at two thirty in the morning from the tiny smattering of crystalline stars he could see in the window next to his cell. The full moon would be tonight. Remus had no idea how he knew this, but in his heart of hearts it felt true.

He shivered unconsciously at the thought of the full, pushing it aside. He was about to ask Patrick's assessment of the time when suddenly the bright spot of his neighbour's eyes reflecting the stars back at him in a mirror-like fashion faded back into the velvety shadows. A half second later Remus detected the familiar soft, purposeful steps of an approaching visitor.

"Hello, Snape," Remus said casually as the hook-nosed man stopped before his cell. "Any chance you know the time?"

"Early morning, though the sun has yet to rise." He tapped the cell door with his wand. "Come."

"Ahh, another meeting with the pharmacist?" Remus asked dryly. His erection had mostly diminished, so he stood compliantly.

The barest flicker of amusement flashed across Snape's mouth before it went back to smoothly clinical. "You'll find out, won't you? Come."

Remus exited the cell and trod the way to the room where he had been administered the needles previous, but Snape instead directed him to a new door in the corridor. "I'm going to presume you will not attack me if I open the door," Severus said softly, his tone slightly ironic and mockingly suggestive.

"I'll try my best," Remus replied, flushing as he felt his cock stirring back to life. Snape's mouth actually twisted in a half smile and Remus was so surprised that the face could wear such a plethora of emotions he smiled automatically back.

Severus felt a thrill of something foreign slither up his back, making his pulse throb headily. Something about the other man, standing there, looking at him like he was something to devour with those bright amber eyes, made his blood boil and his passions swirl. No. He had to be a professional; there was one purpose and one purpose alone for him here. He would give the animal the newly concocted potion and that would be it. Period.

_Then why do you feel like you're going to cream in your pants like an over-excited virgin? _The sly voice was familiar and Snape's jaw clenched as he shoved the thought away. "Sit," he said, terser than he'd meant to be, indicating a chair as Remus followed him into the room.

The lycan's eyes managed to peel themselves from the intoxicating depths of Snape's inky-blaze eyes and he sat primly in the wooden chair the man had gestured to and started to roll up his sleeve.

"That won't be necessary," Snape said silkily, turning away from a desk covered with simmering cauldron, haphazardly piled books, and stacks of parchment placed on any flat surface. The dark-haired man selected a handsome black quill that shone sable in the light from the fire, a fresh roll of parchment and silver pot of ink in one hand and scooped up a pre-measured flask of the potion bubbling thickly and issuing copious amounts of steam on the desk with the other.

"Oh, how much more pleasant," Remus said equably, enjoying the idea of no more syringes. "How clever to have turned whatever this is into a more easily dosed potion." A little flattery couldn't hurt; besides, it was true.

Snape looked at him, his black eyes like magnets again and Remus smiled as Snape grinned briefly. "Thank you," he said softly. Was it the fire or had his cheeks pinkened at the praise? It must have been the firelight, the werewolf reasoned.

Snape sat in a severe-looking high-backed winged armchair that matched his personality so perfectly it was almost comical across from Remus' own seat and, balancing the inkpot on the arm of his chair, started scribbling notes furiously at an astonishing pace. "If you would take the potion," he said, glancing up after a minute or so.

Remus tipped the flask in his companion's direction in a toast. "Your good health," he murmured and in three horrible gulps, drained the contents. "Ugh. Not very tasty, that, though I don't suppose adding flavour would be possible." There was the merest undertone of dark significance; surely if it were only for werewolves you wouldn't, it seemed to say.

"I'm afraid even adding sugar would render it utterly useless. Though if I'm hypothesizing correctly, you won't mind. How do you feel?"

Remus did a quick once over. "Fine actually. Even…calm, if that makes sense. Comfortable, maybe that's a better word for it."

Severus scribbled this down in his notes. "I'll have to keep you here for some time to fully observe the potion's effects, and then you'll be monitored tonight as well."

Remus nodded. As long as he had company, he decided he might as well use it to occupy his mind. "You made this potion?"

"To a degree. I had…help, initially, but the bulk of it is my own work." Severus said this not arrogantly, or smugly, but in a simple way of stating facts. There was no attempt of boastfulness, or modesty, which Remus found refreshing.

"I see. So, as I'm going to be here awhile, may I enquire as to your first name? Unless you prefer to keep that information private, of course; I don't want to ask you to do anything beyond appropriate to you."

He said it so politely and his tone was so warm and friendly that Severus visibly relaxed in his chair, some of his guard down and smiled. "Not offended in the slightest," he promised, "and my first name is Severus." As much as his guard had crumbled under this man's demeanor, he still disliked probing questions and redirected the conversation back to the lycanthrope. "May I ask how you are acquainted with Lily Evans and…Potter?" Remus didn't miss the inflection the dark haired man put on James' surname.

"Lily and I met a while back," he didn't give dates, disliking probing questions as much as Severus, "when I helped her out of a difficult spot." Nice and vague. "As for James, we are only very recently acquainted."

"Through Lily?" Remus smiled at the way Severus said her name and the pale young man blushed noticeably. Clearly Lily had wreaked unintentional havoc on this man's heart with her considerably charm and vivacious personality (and possibly also her smashing body).

"Not at first. I met him through a friend of his, and his roommate."

Severus scowled. "Sirius Black?"

Remus' mind instantly went to the dream he'd had and he shuddered as heat pooled in his groin and his half-hard cock throbbed. "Yes."

Severus made an indecipherable noise in the back of his throat and then paused, wanting to ask the question that suddenly plagued him, but asked another instead, not bothering to consider what he was saying. "Would you like a drink? Or perhaps something to eat? If you're amenable, of course."

Remus smiled. His mother would have approved of this man's manners, which was saying something indeed. "Both would be welcome. Thank you for your hospitality."

The black-robed man gestured him to the couch lazily as he rose. "No need for thanks. It's for the study for the most part. See how the potion reacts, you know."

The werewolf sank gratefully into the plush cushions. "Of course."

In no time at all, Snape came back in with a light tray of food and a bottle of red wine and two shapely glasses. He poured a generous amount into each, as Remus tucked into the food in what he hoped was a reasonably dignified manner as his companion sat beside him easily. "Thank you again."

Severus swirled his wine absently as he contemplated this bizarre man. Here he was, considered among the worthless horde as nothing but a weapon, to be honed, carefully used to inflict horror and fear, but he was possibly the most politely witty honest and shaggable chap imaginable! …Wait. Had he just…? "No need to thank me," he said again softly, mind still reeling.

He peered at Remus as he ate, the slowly efficient way he consumed the food, the light play of muscle under the ridiculously ill fitting shirt, the sensuous curve of his mouth… Damn! How could he be attracted to such a person?

Remus tried not to concentrate on Snape's eyes as they slid over his body, but to concentrate on chewing and swallowing his food. His face felt hot under his skin and he could well imagine the blush. All the rest of his blood seemed to be concentrated in his prick and he felt slightly dizzy.

He put down his fork and reached for his wineglass, taking a fortifying sip. "Mmm, this is quite good."

"Rosemerta's grandfather's recipe and grapes."

"Well, cheers to a damn good year."

Severus smirked and clinked their glasses together, drinking deeply.

The time passed easily as they chatted leisurely about blandly mutual interests, some more about Lily before Severus hastily changed the subject, and the bottle slowly depleted.

Snape refilled it without a second thought and Remus didn't say a word about it. The alcohol was well lubricating their bloodstreams and tongues now, and they moved on to a much more interesting subject. Finally having mustered his courage (after all, he hadn't been some bleeding Gryffindor), he asked how Remus had met Sirius.

The lycan smiled. "We met three years ago initially, when I was employed at a ranch where Sirius attended." Severus chuckled quietly in amusement about his nemesis on a horse. "We had a brief…liaison, and then went our separate ways afterward. Then, after I moved back to London to be…registered, we met again. I understand he works in the department?"

Snape's mind, which had stopped for the most part on 'liaison', nodded distractedly. "You were…with him?"

Remus hardened slightly. "That's rather a personal question…" Snape merely waited. "Yes. Then and recently until he signed off on the papers that brought me here."

The former Slytherin nodded again and reached to refill their glasses. "I didn't mean to pry," he said after some time and Remus smiled.

"No harm done."

There was a slightly awkward lull in conversation and both sipped at their glasses to occupy themselves. Snape leaned forward to take his parchment, ink and quill up and go through some of his prearranged questions just as Remus moved to set his glass down on the table. Their mouths brushed and a shock of attraction arced between their bodies. Both jerked back slightly and looked at one another.

Severus' eyes did the weird magnet thing again and Remus found himself inexplicably drawn closer to the dark-haired man. Severus didn't really need Occlumency to read the desire in his guest's eyes and his mouth gravitated forward without conscious thought.

The lycan's lips tasted of the fragrant wine and Severus groaned, hand mussing the uneven tufts of Remus' hair as he dragged his fingers through it. The fair-haired man thrust his tongue forward, taking greedy first impressions of Snape's mouth much the same as he'd done to Sirius forever ago.

With deft fingers, despite his wine consumption, he unbuttoned the fastenings of Severus' robes as he staked claim to that warm wet mouth. Snape merely slid the hand not fixed in his hair down his front, untucking his newfound lover's shirt. They went from vertical to horizontal on the couch, though afterward neither remembered how, and Remus ground his rock hard cock against the prominent bulge in Severus' robes.

"Oh fucking Godric," Snape murmured, his voice rough and husky and deliciously breathless, sparking the fuel of Remus' arousal. He nipped none too lightly at Snape's neck, though was careful not to hurt in any way (his dream flickered for one horrible second before the hand on his buttocks brought him back to reality) and then licked the sting away before moving to one of the hardened pink nubs on the ink-haired man's chest.

He growled, annoyed, at the woeful access from the robes and methodically hiked them up as Severus helped to rid himself of the offending cloth. When his torso was bare, Remus kissed him, grinding his cock delectably slow and hard against his companion's, before pulling away to trace the tempting areola around one of Severus' nipples with his talented tongue.

"Fuck," Severus rasped. "Slytherin's shorts, I fucking need you. Oh…yesss, don't stop, oh Godric, fuck me!" Remus cocked and eyebrow before smirking and sliding the hand fondling his other nipple to tug at the dark haired man's belt buckle.

"You want me to _fuck_ you?" he breathed back hotly against his lover's ear. Remus' lips brushed the luscious shell of his ear as his tongue pulled the lobe into his mouth, sucking for one delirious second. He barely noticed as the button on his trousers came undone, his unbuckled belt clinking as his hips rose, seeking the friction of the older man's phallus rubbing against his own. "You want me to put my cock in you and _fuck_ you?" he purred.

"Fuck! Bloody hell, yes!" Severus writhed on the sheets, unable to take such savoury torture, before he felt the comparative coolness of Remus' hand sliding down the underwear-encased length of his prick. His eyes rolled back slightly in his head and his heart thrummed wildly as the werewolf slowly slid the bulk of his remaining clothing down his legs until he was free to kick them away.

"Mmm, but you _have_ to wait Severus," the lycan replied claiming his mouth briefly. "I have so much more in mind for you."

He pulled away and kissed down the pale, flat expanse of stomach, eager and forceful. Snape submitted willingly, too aroused to give a damn. Remus chuckled softly and their eyes met before the fairer of the two pulled upright, unbuttoning his shirt. Snape whimpered, hating himself but unable to help it, and Remus verily ripped his shirt off (a button actually arced away almost amusingly).

"Ohh…God, don't make me do it," Severus whispered in a tortured voice. The lycanthrope was instantly by his side, arm around him, kissing him softly on the corner of the mouth.

"I…I'm sorry? I thought…I thought you wanted to. If I've crossed the line, I'm terribly sorry, it's just that you're…decidedly attractive, and it's very close to…the…full moon… Again, sorry to have offended you in any way."

Severus smiled at this almost impossibly polite man; even in the face of almost having him beg for mercy, he was charming and endearing and dangerously too good. "Never offended, Remus," he replied softly, thickly, his arousal still painful.

The lycan was surprised the other man remembered his name. That first day of introduction seemed…a lifetime ago now in wake of what had eclipsed it. He smiled, unsure what to say. "Alright. If…if you would rather not, we don't have to…" His eyes slid downward in one last token glance at Severus' mostly-naked body beside him.

Snape smiled, his normally gruff exterior down, saying, "I'm amazed at how very oblivious you are, Lupin. But I suppose it adds to the charm." Then he took Remus' jaw in his hand and pulled his mouth down, kissing him hungrily. After his initial shock wore off, the elder of the pair started kissing back, tongue insistent in Severus' mouth, snogging him senseless rather effectively.

The darker haired man groaned as his companion bent to lick his pulse point with mouth-watering revelry. So good…so delicious… His fingers skimmed reverently, tentatively around the elastic waistband of practical cotton briefs. "Turn over," he commanded, pulling away to reach for the wand he saw poking out from under Severus' discarded robes.

Snape froze as he realized that all of this could have simply been a ploy to secure his wand. Damn! Immediately, he felt abashed as Remus muttered a spell and something cool and slippery erupted between his arse cheeks and he was met with a waft of strawberry. The werewolf paused, pursing his lips, and then muttered _Engorgio_ so that the sofa grew, knocking over a table stacked with thick Potions tomes.

"Sorry," he breathed, tossing the wand aside again.

"It's fine," Snape replied, unable to help smiling a little.

Remus ducked his head and kissed him again, distracting him as he pulled the underwear down, grinding his still clothing imprisoned erection against the hot hard one that stood proudly before him to entice Severus to buck upward (which he did immediately) and remove the last of his mate's clothing. "Now you have to turn over," he murmured his mouth suddenly full of excess saliva as he stared raptly at the simply tempting sight of pre-come sliding down that beautiful phallus.

"Why?" Severus asked as Remus sat back so he could do as told, eyes never leaving the steady show of gravitational force that the little, milky drip demonstrated in so fucking hot a way.

"Because if I get anywhere near your cock I'm going to fucking suck it dry," he whispered harshly, closing his eyes to avoid the temptation of it altogether. "And you look almost ready to burst," he added, opening his eyes to stare at Snape's flushed face and death grip on the cushion.

Snape, now trusting Remus implicitly, turned over, trying to stifle the moan as Remus guided him to stay on his knees. He was going to get fucked now. Good Godric…

Instead, he felt a long-fingered hand slide down his spine, dragging ecstasy through his nerve endings and making him arch. "You have to tell me if you don't like this. Not everyone does, and it's fine if you don't either."

"But you like it?" Snape wondered if there was any way this man's mind could be darker and more twisted than his own was on occasion, unable to settle for more than a Maybe.

"Yes. But again, it's personal preference."

"I have no doubts that even were I not to enjoy it, you might find a way to do it to me anyway and I might enjoy _that_." Remus chuckled, content with the verbose acquiescence.

"Mmm," he murmured, throaty and deep in his chest, as his nose slid over a luminescent buttock before he spread the supple cheeks and beheld that puckered little ring of pure pleasure. Snape's breathing hitched as he felt Remus move closer, his breath warm and moist as he exhaled across the Slytherin's balls and he suddenly realized what the lycan meant. Remus brushed the broad flat surface of his tongue over the heady scent of strawberry flavoured lube as Snape sank onto his elbows, groaning as an entirely fresh supply of blood, hot and riddled with adrenaline, making his hard-on throb. "Mother of fucking _God_ric! Don't…please, please don't stop," he panted as Remus waited for his reaction. Seemingly pleased, he nipped lightly at the curve of surprisingly fit buttock in his hand and repeated the procedure.

"Oh, I don't know Severus, you seem awfully in need of some attention…" he purred. Severus growled in frustration, trying to lever himself upward, seeking the friction the gently teasing muscle provided.

"Fuck attention; if you don't get on with fucking something I'm going to be pretty fucking pissed."

"Mmm Merlin, your voice and that word were made to go together, Severus." And it was true. With that deep, husky voice, thickened with his underlying need, growled in frustration, fuck was the best word in the English language to describe it. The former Slytherin opened his mouth to reply, but lost his breath before he could utter a sound as Remus' tongue, no longer broad and soft, traced a burning, heady path around his upturned arse hole.

Snape had to force himself to breathe in and out, listening for his partner's steady breaths and copying them, trying to hold onto reality. The young werewolf's tongue swirled, maddeningly slow and yet too fast to bear, inward to the center of his ass before gently thrusting his tongue forward, into the tight, slippery heat. Severus almost fell completely but soldiered on, biting his lower lip hard to keep from losing himself to the unbearably ecstasy Remus' rim job brought him.

Then one of those fingers, those long, slender, fucking _perfect_ fingers that should reverently thumb pages of important books, digits that should float over ivory piano keys, tools that should wreak pleasure, like they did as they slid into the slick, impossibly tight ring of his virgin anus. "Oh, fuck me, I'm not going to make it."

"Shh, yes you are, babe," Remus murmured curling his exploratory finger, testing, searching…

"FUCKING HELL! No, I'm not…" Remus pulled his finger away and Severus groaned, the sound rising into a yelp as Remus spanked him.

"You want to make me prove it to you?" Remus whispered heatedly. "We have _hours_ ahead of us Severus, it would be all too easy to pass the time…"

The dark haired man groaned. "No, no…please. I…I can take it. Please."

"Mmm, good boy," Remus replied approvingly. His finger, this time with a friend, slid back into Snape, stretching his perineum again, this time almost to the point of unpleasantness. But then Remus began scissoring them back and forth, stroking his prostate with unceasing pressure.

"Oh fuck…fuck fuck fuck… Merlin…yes, fuck me now. Godric I want it so bad…" Remus slid another impossible finger in, sliding his digits in and out faster now and Snape groaned as the burn of pain became the burn of pleasure.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Remus breathed, unable to take this anymore. His veins and brain were drunk on hormones and pheromones and need and want and the pure carnal pleasure of _fucking_ so close to the full, all mixing to form a blinding attraction he couldn't explain his thirst for. He didn't bother doing more than pushing his pants and underwear out of the way; too horny to think about anything but his cock, buried balls deep in that tight little virgin asshole.

He rubbed the head of his prick, dripping pre-come and too sensitive from its confinement, against Snape's opening and the Potions Master to-be moaned in anxious anticipation. "I'll try to go slow," Remus murmured and Snape nodded.

"I'm ready."

Remus thrust forward slowly, sliding the first few inches of his cock into the slippery, well-lubed and agonizingly tight sphincter. Severus grit his teeth hard, not wanting to betray a sound that might give away the immense burning that only slowly faded to pleasure after Remus had pulled out. The last thing he wanted was for Remus to change his mind or something. He wanted this. More than anything in his life combined. Then he thought of the first thing he'd said he wanted more than anything in his life… _Well_, he amended to himself, _maybe not anything_.

He lost his breath, occupied as he was thinking other things, when Remus slid into him again, this time pressing his advantage to half of the length of his cock. Severus moaned as the lycanthrope's cock nudged his g-spot and his upper body went limp as pleasure pooled in his belly and ecstasy coiled hotter within him. "Oh Godric, you have to fuck me." The paler man spoke quite simply, almost clinically, except that his voice had an underlying edge of authority that thrilled the hunt in Mooney's dark corner of his mind, growing ever stronger.

Remus, who had pulled out, now thrust back in completely sheathing his manhood inconceivably deep in Severus' arse. They swore in tandem. "Fast…" the darker haired gasped. "Hard."

Remus complied at once, the overwhelming urge to own, dominate and shag rotten was too strong to ignore. He pulled out untidily and thrust hurriedly home once again, soon settling into a gentle, smooth rhythm. Still, all this time later, he remembered the feel of a 'lesson' he'd given Sirius on riding, sitting behind the young man, bareback on one of the younger geldings and the same smooth, undulating motions of his hips. The movement had to have been what triggered the memory that lanced sharp and bitter through him, that gentle riding motion he now unconsciously used on his Slytherin lover.

Snape, who was blissfully oblivious to these memories, moaned and arched as Remus fucked him slow and deep. It was perfect, ecstasy, indescribable, and wonderful, but something was missing. He didn't want a gentle ride with its clichéd and expected climax. He wanted to get _fucked_; hard and fast and brutal. He opened his mouth to speak, only able to gasp out breaths for several long moments. "Ohh Merlin, fuck me," he finally managed to rasp out.

The werewolf felt his control slipping, tried to reign it in. That tempting arousal he could practically taste wafting up from every pore in his lover's body, the heat of their union, and the wolf with its chaos and bloodlust running madly in him was fighting to break free and plunder, ravage, claim. Remus held it back for one reason. He was scared shitless that he might, accidentally even, do something woefully stupid. Like lean down and sink his teeth into the pale column of neck that dewed with sweat. Or grip those milky hips before him hard enough to hurt this man who'd been nothing but exceptionally kind to him for no reason.

But Fate, as that sick, twisted _bitch_ had a way of doing, took the matter from his hands completely. He felt the hot of wave of passion, carnal glory, and pure arousal rip through him as Severus (surely unknowingly) clenched his anus around Remus' length as he withdrew. His gentle thrusts became almost brutal in their intensity as desire coiled thick and sumptuous in his belly and he actually growled as those tempting-as-all-fuck fingers dug into the skin around Severus' jutting hipbones.

The dark haired man moaned loud and long, not caring for once what others might think of the sound as Remus gave him the ride of a lifetime. His fists clenched on the enlarged couch's cushion as his eyes squeezed shut and pleasure stabbed at his prostate in a blur of hot motion. "_Fuck_!' he verily screamed, the word ripping from his larynx in a way he'd never thought imaginable. It felt as though his vocal chords were tearing in half.

Remus' teeth clenched together hard as his orgasm raced through his veins to the mad thumping of his heart and back down to gather in his cock. "Yes," he growled in a breathless voice. "Fuck, yes! …Take it, take it…oh God!"

Severus felt tears escape the corners of his eyes as he felt the hot explosion of Remus' come in the depths of his well-fucked arse and lost himself to his own glorious release as one word, spoken in the tiniest of whispers and inaudible to his lover, slipped from his lips. "Lily." And then he felt the thick ropes of semen bursting from his cock and was dragged down into black oblivion as he felt the lycanthrope collapse upon him, half-hard cock still to the hilt in his ass.

XXX

**Author's Note: **well I know the last one was a bit of a wait, but this one shouldn't be and I gave you all some smut (actually, a LOT of smut) to keep you happy. See? I'm not evil and mean…although you still don't know if Sirius is going to make it or not. Muwahahahaha! Maybe I am evil and mean after all… Well, review for me darlings, pretty please? Maybe that'll bring out the nice. 'Can't be your Superman' Cheers!

PS. – the almost-broken elevator is in homage to its real life inspiration, the really lame one in my friend's building that's never on the floor you need it to be on and scares the shite out of me when I ride it (because it feels entirely rickety).


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